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Alastair Cook has been handed a one-match ban for slow over-rate © Getty
England skipper Alastair Cook has been handed a one-match ban from One-Day Internationals (ODI) for maintaining a slow over-rate during England's five-wicket victory in the third ODI versus Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Match referee David Boon found England an over short of their target at the end of their rain-interrupted game at Hambantota. The ban was enforced because this was Cook's second breach of the over-rate in the last 12 months. He was earlier cautioned for a slow over-rate in a game against India at Cardiff.
The charge laid by on-field umpires Simon Fry and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, third-umpire Steve Davis and fourth official Raveendra Wimalasiri also fines the English captain 20% of the match-fee.
In Cook's absence, Eoin Morgan will take over captaincy duties in the fourth ODI scheduled for the weekend. "Eoin Morgan will captain the next game. He's a good player, crikey. Hell have been through periods when he's not quite hitting it [as he'd like]. But he's the sort of player were very excited about. The key is to believe in yourself, and go out and play and Eoin will do that, I'm sure," England coach, Peter Moores was quoted as saying by BBC Test Match special.
"Its a shame for Alastair," Moores added. "I thought he played beautifully last night he timed the ball really well
"But one thing is that it cleans the slate for him, before we go to a World Cup, because he had that ban hanging over him, if he had one more time slow on our over-rate," he said.
Despite Cook's absence, England will head into the fourth ODI confident after a morale-boosting win at Hambantota. "It's great to wake up when you've had a win under your belt," Moores said. "Sometimes, the morning after is the time you rea
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