Sri Lanka was handed a rare five-run penalty during the first ODI against Bangladesh on Wednesday for breaching the ICC’s newly enforced stop-clock rule — marking the first in-game application of the regulation since it became a permanent fixture in international cricket.
The penalty was imposed during the 36th over of Bangladesh’s innings at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo after Sri Lanka failed to begin the over within the allotted 60 seconds for the third time. Under ICC rules, two such infractions are permitted with warnings; a third results in an automatic five-run penalty awarded to the batting side.
Umpires signaled the penalty at the start of the over, adding five runs to Bangladesh’s total as extras. No exceptional circumstances were cited to justify the delay. Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka was seen conversing with the umpires following the decision, while spinner Wanindu Hasaranga later stated that the delay was unintentional.
Despite the sanction, Sri Lanka went on to win the match by 77 runs, bowling out Bangladesh for 167 — a total that included the five penalty runs — in response to their 244-run first innings.
The ICC stop-clock rule, officially adopted in 2024 following trials, is aimed at maintaining the pace of play in ODIs and T20Is. Umpires are now tasked with monitoring the time between overs, with penalties enforced immediately and visible on the scoreboard. Repeated violations can also attract fines or fielding restrictions.
Wednesday’s ruling underscored the ICC’s strict stance on time management and served as a cautionary reminder to all teams competing under international playing conditions.
