Pakistan's difficulties in One Day International (ODI) cricket persisted on Thursday. Following a disappointing exit from the group stage of the Champions Trophy held on home soil just a month prior, Pakistan faced another setback by losing the ODI series against New Zealand on Wednesday, falling behind 0-2 in the three-match series. The day after their defeat in Hamilton during the second match, the International Cricket Council (ICC) imposed a penalty on them.

The team, captained by Mohammad Rizwan, was fined five percent of their match fee for failing to maintain an acceptable over-rate during the second ODI in Hamilton. They were deemed one over short of the required target when time allowances were factored in. According to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which addresses minimum over-rate violations, teams are fined five percent of their match fees for each instance they do not complete their overs within the allotted time.

The sanction was enforced by Jeff Crowe from the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. The charge was brought forth by on-field umpires Michael Gough and Wayne Knights, along with third umpire Paul Reiffel and fourth umpire Chris Brown. Rizwan admitted to the violation and accepted the penalty, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.

This marked the second consecutive occasion that Pakistan faced such a charge. In the series opener, which they lost by 73 runs, they were also found to be two overs short after accounting for time allowances.

The third and final match of the series is scheduled for Saturday in Mount Maunganui. Under the leadership of new captain Salman Agha and without key players Babar Azam and Rizwan, Pakistan had previously suffered a 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series against the Black Caps during this tour.

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