The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued newly revised regulations for the over-rate sanctions that will be in effect from the current World Test Championship cycle. The aim behind the ICC modifying the previous rules is to provide a balance between maintaining over-rates and ensuring that a player is not charged 100% of his match fee, which might result in him losing interest in Test cricket.
As per the revised regulations issued by ICC in their press release, players will be subjected to a fine equivalent to 5% of their match fee for every over that falls short, with a maximum penalty capped at 50%. However, if a team gets bowled out prior to reaching the 80-over mark and the new ball is not yet due, no over-rate penalty will be imposed, regardless of any potential delays. This amendment supersedes the existing threshold of 60 overs.
Notably, the reform by the ICC has come after the recent discussion over India and Australia being slapped with heavy fines for not maintaining the required over-rate in the WTC 2023 Final at the Oval in London. While Indian players lost 100% of their salary, Australia were docked 80% of their match fee. Later, Aussie side once again faced the sanction for slow-over rate in the first Ashes 2023 Test against England.
The details regarding the new modification were revealed by ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair Sourav Ganguly, who stated that the global cricket governing council is determined to raise the standards of Test cricket.
“The ICC World Test Championship has injected renewed energy into Test cricket giving it compelling context. In the last edition, we only had 12 draws in 69 matches, and we want to ensure that trend continues whilst we’re giving fans the best value for money and keeping over-rates up,” Ganguly was quoted saying in the ICC press release.
“The Men’s Cricket Committee felt strongly that over-rate penalties in the form of WTC points deductions should remain but recommended that players should not have 100% of their match fee at risk. We believe this provides a balance between maintaining over-rates and ensuring we are not deterring players from playing Test cricket,” he added.
