Australia’s opening batsman, Usman Khawaja, has expressed his frustration after the team was penalized by losing 10 World Test Championship (WTC) points due to slow over-rates during the Ashes series held in England, which ended in a draw.
Khawaja, who also serves as a board member of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, had actively advocated to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a review of penalties related to slow over-rates. Last month, the ICC revised the penalties for such instances.
Despite retaining the Ashes urn following the evenly-matched five-game series, Khawaja’s Australia saw a significant reduction of their original 28 points after being deemed 10 overs short in the fourth test at Old Trafford.
“Even though we didn’t even have the opportunity to bowl in the second innings at Manchester due to two days of rain, the @ICC still imposes fines and deducts 10 WTC points from us for slow over rates!” Khawaja shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Such logic…” commented Khawaja, who emerged as the highest run-scorer in the captivating series.
As the reigning world champions, Australia now find themselves in the third position on the WTC points table, trailing behind Pakistan and India. The deduction of points has further widened the gap between Australia and the top two teams.
Facing a more severe situation than Australia, England incurred a substantial penalty of 19 WTC points due to violations of over-rate regulations in four out of the five matches.
Led by Ben Stokes, the team orchestrated an impressive comeback, recovering from a 2-0 deficit to secure a draw in the Ashes series. However, their valiant performance earned them a mere nine points in the standings, placing them at the fifth spot. They trail behind a West Indies team that has yet to clinch a victory after four matches.
The diminished role of spin in the series, particularly following an injury to Australia’s Nathan Lyon during the second match, contributed to delays in over-rates.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting shifted the responsibility to the umpires, urging them to expedite the pace of play by promptly preparing the players for action, without unnecessary delays.
“We need to discover a method to reduce the amount of time we’re losing during these matches,” Ponting commented during the ICC Review.
In contrast, former England captain Nasser Hussain emphasized that penalties for slow over-rates should be stringent, citing the disappointment it causes among the spectators who have paid for their tickets. “Tickets, especially in England, come at a significant cost. Thus, the aim is to provide a complete day’s worth,” he explained.
“Now, there are those who contend that you’re still receiving the entertainment regardless. However, I do believe that if you’ve paid for 90 overs, you should rightfully anticipate receiving 90 overs.”
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