Pakistan cricket team fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad were sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during the opening Test match against West Indies in Tarouba.
Both Pakistan cricketers were found guilty of Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 which prohibits players from “using words, gestures or actions that could incite or provoke an aggressive response from a batter following a dismissal”. While Khurram Shahzad received a 15 per cent fine and was handed one demerit point for celebrating too close to Shai Hope, Mohammad Abbas was issued an official reprimand along with one demerit point for his animated celebration.
Coming to the match, Pakistan captain Babar Azam made an unbeaten 58 and shared a rearguard stand of 49 with No. 11 Mohammad Abbas to delay the end before West Indies completed a 90-run win in the first Test.
After being set 211 to win when West Indies’ second innings ended at 181, Pakistan slumped to the brink of defeat at 71-9 in the face of accurate bowling from Jayden Seales, who took 5-20.
Babar finally found a stoic partner in Abbas and the last pair held out for 12 overs to frustrate the hosts. Abbas was the last man out for 23 shortly after tea on the fourth day when Pakistan was 120.
Babar’s half-century stood out in stark relief against a poor Pakistan batting effort. When he reached his half-century from 81 balls, Pakistan was 88-9 and the rest of its batters had contributed only 38 runs.
“We played good cricket in the last few days but today we were not up to the mark as a batting unit,” Babar said. “We lost back-to-back wickets. We will look to make sure it doesn’t happen in the next matches.
“The surface is good and we expected the new ball to move for which we were prepared,” he added. “But I think they bowled very well and used the conditions nicely.”
Pakistan’s collapse followed the template of its first innings in which it reached 244-4 with a century by Shan Masood then lost its next six wickets for 38 runs to be all out for 282, conceding a 29-run first innings lead. West Indies made 311 batting first.