Cook suspended for second over-rate offence

England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-shortened match at Hambantota on Wednesday but were one over short of their target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration, the ICC said in a statement.

(Reuters)

"As Cook had previously been found guilty of a minor over rate offence in One-Day Internationals within the last 12 months, this offence constituted his second minor over rate offence...," the governing body said explaining the suspension.

Cook, who scored 34 on Wednesday, was also fined 20 percent of his match fee, while his team mates were docked 10 percent.

He will miss the fourth one dayer to be played in Colombo on Sunday with Sri Lanka 2-1 up in the seven-match series.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ken Ferris)