‘Give Them A Break!’: Iceland Cricket Roasts Pakistan’s Squad Chaos As ICC Docks 11 WTC Points

Pakistan have been fined 50 per cent of their match fee and docked 11 World Test Championship points for a slow over-rate in the third Test against England in Birmingham, the International Cricket Council announced Monday. The ICC stated Pakistan were 11 overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into account.

The latest sanction leaves Pakistan bottom of the World Test rankings, with their points percentage falling from 14.81 to 4.63. It adds to a miserable tour that was already marred by seven squad replacements, a coaching sack and 16 defeats in their last 21 Tests.

England Sweep Details

Joe Root’s unbeaten 62 and Jordan Cox’s 59 helped England chase 130 with eight wickets in hand in Birmingham. The win completed a 3-0 series whitewash and set the backdrop for the slow over-rate sanction in the third and final Test.

Referee Decision

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction. On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Allahudien Palekar and fourth umpire Russell Warren levelled the charge.

The ICC stated the team had fallen 11 overs short once allowances were applied. That shortfall triggered both the match-fee fine and the World Test Championship points penalty.

Also Read: Why Has ICC Punished Pakistan Following Women's Asia Cup Exit?

Iceland Cricket Mockery

Iceland Cricket quickly joined in. The board, known for razor-sharp humour and sarcastic social media digs despite Iceland never having played a Test, mocked Pakistan after the sanction.

"ICC should give them a break! Most of them had never met before the match. Some still don't know where they were meant to field. It takes time," the board posted.

The barb pointed to Pakistan’s mid-series squad overhaul. That shake-up left Pakistan fielding a patched-together XI and gave Iceland Cricket an easy line for its latest joke.

Earlier Series Jabs

This was not the board’s first dig. Earlier in the series, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi oversaw a contentious mid-series squad overhaul.

Seven players were released ahead of the Birmingham Test, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha. The move became one of the clearest signs of the turmoil around Pakistan’s tour.

Iceland Cricket targeted Naqvi directly. The sarcastic account offered local players who could "clear an iceberg" a fully funded journey to visit Naqvi and "learn about selection strategy", suggesting the flight might be one-way.