Cricket: Ponting fined for slow over rates

PERTH - Ricky Ponting and his Australian cricket team had insult added to injury when they were fined for slow over rates during last night's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy defeat to New Zealand in Perth.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed match referee Roshan Mahanama of Sri Lanka had fined Ponting 20 per cent of his match fee, and the rest of the Australian team 10 per cent of their match fees.

Mahanama ruled Ponting and his team were two overs short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with the ICC code of conduct regulations governing over-rate penalties, players are fined five 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.

The match, which New Zealand won by two wickets off the final ball, ran at least 30 minutes past the scheduled finish time as Ponting held regular consultations with his bowlers.

- NZPA