Australia opener Usman Khawaja has expressed his frustration and disbelief at the International Cricket Council (ICC) for penalising his team for maintaining a slow over rate in the fourth Ashes Test against England in Manchester.
The ICC announced that Australia had been fined 50% of their match fee and docked 10 World Test Championship (WTC) points for being 10 overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. This was despite the fact that Australia did not get a chance to bowl in the second innings due to two days of rain that washed out the final two sessions of the match.
Khawaja took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the ICC’s decision, calling it nonsensical and unfair.
Khawaja previously involved in ICC discussions to Reduce Slow Over-rate Penalties
Earlier reports emerged that Khawaja played a vital role in convincing ICC to reduce penalties for poor over rates. Khawaja was involved in discussions with ICC’s general manager cricket Wasim Khan as he raised the concerns.
Notably, the ICC had recently amended its sanctions for slow over rates, reducing the fines for players from 20% to 5% of their match fee for each over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. However, the penalty of one WTC point per over remained unchanged.
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This means that Australia, who retained the Ashes after drawing the series 2-2, have slipped to third place in the WTC standings with 30 points, behind India and Pakistan. England, who were also fined for slow over rates in four out of five Tests, are fifth with 15 points.
The ICC’s decision has sparked a debate over whether docking points for slow over rates is fair and effective, especially when factors like weather, injuries and referrals can affect the pace of play.
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