Dhoni risks ban for slow Indian over-rates

[dambu999]

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni needs to ensure that his bowlers complete overs in stipulated time in the third Test against the West Indies as a slow rate could get him banned from playing in the opening Test against England later this month.

Dhoni and his team were deemed to have bowled three overs short during the Barbados Test which ended in a draw on Saturday.

This is his second offence this year after he was found guilty during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town earlier this year.

Another such offence in the Dominica Test, starting on July 6, would bring a mandatory ban on the Indian captain.

Rule 2.5 of the ICC code of conduct states that in case a particular team is guilty of bowling slow over-rates on three occasions in a 12-month period, the guilty captain would suffer an immediate suspension of one match in the same format of the game as in which the offence occurred.

In accordance with the regulations concerning minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

So Dhoni would be docked 60 per cent of this match fees from the Barbados Test.

Two years ago, Dhoni was banned for two one-dayers after his team failed to maintain the over-rate during the second match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.

Dhoni thus missed the one-day internationals in Cuttack and Kolkata of the series, returning only for the final game in Delhi.