Ashes 2023: ICC punishes England, Australia for slow over rates

After both teams were judged guilty of sustaining sluggish over rates during the first Test match of the Ashes 2023 at Edgbaston, Australia and England forfeited two points from their World Test Championship count on Wednesday.

Additionally, players from both teams received fines equal to 40% of their match fees. Andy Pycroft of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the penalties when it was determined that both teams had fallen two overs short of their targets.

There will be no official hearings because both England’s Ben Stokes and Australia’s Pat Cummins have accepted punishments.

According to the minimum over-rate offences section of Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

Additionally, teams are docked one point for each over that is short, according to Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing criteria. Two World Test Championship points were consequently taken from both teams’ final score.

After the first Test of the current cycle, Cummins’ team has a total of 10 points after Australia lost two points.

However, due to England’s two-point deduction, they now trail all eight of their competitors in the 2023–25 WTC cycle.

The current Ashes 2023 series is the first of six series that will determine Australia’s qualification chances for the next WTC Final, which is scheduled to be held at Lord’s, London, in June 2025.