Upal Tharanga suspended for two matches for 'serious' over-rate offence

As per Article 2.5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to serious over-rate offences, players were fined 10 percent of their match fees for the first two overs and 20 percent of their match fees for the additional overs their side failed to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain also receiving two suspension points.

Yesterday, Sri Lanka took more than four hours to bowl 50 overs, and match referee David Boon, even after making time allowances, ruled that the Lankans were still short of the target by four overs. 

"Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing," the ICC said in a release. "As two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player, Tharanga has been suspended from his side's upcoming matches against India and Pakistan, while each of his players has received a fine of 60 percent."

But, the 32-year-old admitted that he had been warned by the umpire on the field about their slow over-rate. "I think we were too slow to change over between overs. The umpires had told us that we were lagging, after 10 overs that we were two overs behind. In the last few overs, it's hard to catch up, because you need some time at the death. "

Tharanga was Sri Lanka's top scorer against South Africa, making 57 off 69 balls in the chase of 300, apart from scoring a century against New Zealand in their warm-up match before the tournament. So, now his suspension makes it even more difficult for the Asian side to qualify from a group that includes Indian and Pakistan as well.