Overview
- The ICC imposed a 10% match-fee fine and one demerit point after Babar struck the stumps upon his dismissal in the 21st over of the third ODI in Rawalpindi, with match referee Ali Naqvi ratifying the charge reported by the umpires.
- Babar admitted the Article 2.2 offence, which removed the need for a formal hearing, and it registers as his first demerit in the last 24 months.
- Later, he was trapped lbw by Brad Evans for a three-ball duck against Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener, his ninth T20I duck, as Pakistan won by five wickets.
- The sanction followed Pakistan’s 3–0 ODI sweep of Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, where Babar scored 165 runs including an unbeaten century that ended a lengthy hundred drought.
- Under ICC rules, Level 1 breaches can lead to up to a 50% match-fee deduction and one or two demerit points, with four demerits in 24 months converting into suspension points.