Pakistan’s tough England tour has taken another serious turn after the International Cricket Council (ICC) has harshly punished the team for slow over-rate in the third Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The ICC announced on 14 September 2026 that Pakistan had been fined 50 per cent of their match fees and deducted 11 World Test Championship (WTC) points. The punishment followed the team being 11 overs short of its required over-rate after time allowances were taken into account.
Pakistan Penalised After Edgbaston Test
The punishment stems from the third and final Test of Pakistan's series against England at Edgbaston. England won the match by eight wickets, completing a 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan.
According to the ICC, Pakistan fell 11 overs behind the required rate during the match. Teams can lose one championship point for every over they are behind under the WTC playing conditions if allowances are taken into account.
The deduction therefore matched the 11 overs Pakistan were found short.
50 per cent Match-Fee Fine
The WTC points deduction was accompanied by a financial penalty. Pakistan's playing squad were fined 50 per cent of their match fee.
The sanction was imposed under the ICC Code of Conduct provisions covering minimum over-rate offences. The maximum match fee fine applicable for this offence was reached in Pakistan's case according to the ICC.
Pakistan’s WTC Position Takes Another Hit
The 11-point deduction has significantly worsened Pakistan's position in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
Even before the latest penalty, Pakistan had earned points from its results during the campaign, but the deduction has left the team with only five points from nine Tests, according to Reuters. Now Pakistan is at the bottom of the WTC standings with around 4.63%.
This makes their path toward the WTC Final much more difficult.
A look at the #WTC27 standings following Pakistan’s latest sanction.
— ICC (@ICC) September 14, 2026
Read more 👉 https://t.co/8Phz2w2Nmh pic.twitter.com/4HmvFLDEji
A Tour to Forget for Pakistan
The disciplinary action comes just days after a terrible Test series in England. Pakistan lost the opening Test at Leeds by an innings and 103 runs, the second Test at Lord's by 194 runs and the Edgbaston Test by eight wickets.
The 3-0 defeat leaves Pakistan with a lot of ground to recover in the remainder of the WTC cycle.
Pakistan had faced a prior WTC penalty.
The latest punishment is also not Pakistan's first over-rate sanction in the current WTC cycle.
In May 2026, the ICC deducted eight WTC points from Pakistan after they were found eight overs short during the first Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur. The team was also fined 40 per cent of their match fees for that offence.
The repeated penalties make over-rate management an increasingly important issue for Pakistan.
