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The recently-concluded Ashes 2023 witnessed an intense battle between cricketing giants England and Australia, culminating in a gruelling five-match series. The visitors began on a high note, securing victories in the opening two games to take a 2-0 lead. However, England staged a remarkable comeback, claiming the third and final Test to level the series.
Amid the celebration and excitement following the hard-fought Ashes, a major setback has now hit both teams. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed penalties on England and Australia for slow over-rates throughout the series.
England faced a significant 19-point deduction for falling behind in the over-rate in most matches, except for the 3rd Test. Similarly, Australia incurred a 10-point deduction for their slow over-rate in the 4th Test, which ultimately ended in a draw due to continuous rainfall, washing out the final two days of play.
Usman Khawaja expresses discontent with ICC’s decision
The ICC’s decision to dock points from Australia received strong criticism from opener Usman Khawaja, who emerged as the leading run-scorer in the series. Expressing his displeasure, Khawaja took to his official Twitter handle to mock the sanctions, arguing that they lacked rationale.
In his tweet, Khawaja questioned the logic behind penalizing Australia for slow over-rates when the team was denied the opportunity to bowl in the second innings during the Manchester Test due to continuous rain. He sarcastically remarked, “Don’t even get the chance to bowl in the second innings at Manchester due to 2 days of rain, and @ICC still issue fines and take 10 WTC points off us for slow over rates! That makes a lot of sense..”
Don't even get the chance to bowl in the second innings at Manchester due to 2 days of rain and @ICC still issue fines and take 10 WTC points of us for slow over rates! That makes a lot of sense… 🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/NKuGI61n2n
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) August 2, 2023
Notably, at the ICC annual conference in Durban on July 13 this year, the latest over-rate sanctions for Test cricket were revealed. According to the new rules, if a team is found short by an over, they will face a fine of five percent of their match fee and lose one WTC point.
Also READ: From Usman Khawaja to Chris Woakes: Here are the star performers of Ashes 2023
