Things have gone from bad to worse for England in the second Ashes Test, with the tourists set to be fined over $60,000 and docked World Test Championship points for slow over-rates at the Gabba. Ben Stokes’ side slumped to 6-134 on Saturday night, still 43 runs behind Australia’s first innings total of 511.
England are staring down the barrel of a 2-0 series deficit unless Stokes can pull off somewhat of a miracle on Sunday. To make matters worse, the England players are set to be fined 20 per cent of their match payments and have four points taken off their World Test Championship tally.
Ben Stokes and England (L) will cop sanctions from the ICC that Steve Smith and Australia (R) narrowly avoided. Image: Getty
Stokes’ side were found to be four overs short of the required rate in Australia’s first innings, and the ICC is set to take action. Under ICC rules, teams are required to bowl 15 overs per hour during Test matches, which should usually result in 90 being bowled in a day.
If teams are found to have fallen short when allowances are made for any time lost due to wickets falling or oppressive conditions, the ICC has the power to impose sanctions. All 11 players are fined five per cent of their match fee per over lost, and the team on the whole is docked one point in the World Test Championship for every over short of the required rate.
Ben Stokes and Will Jacks walk off the field after day three of the second Ashes Test. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
England players facing $66,000 in fines from ICC
Because England were found to be four overs short in the first innings, they’ll have four points taken away and the players will all cop a 20 per cent reduction in their match fee (five per cent for every over). England players are paid about $30,000 per Test match, meaning they’ll each lose $6000 and $66,000 as a team.
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It’s a cruel blow for England considering Australia were eight overs short in the first innings, but won’t receive any sanctions. The ICC tweaked the rule in 2023 so that teams don’t face penalties for over-rate infringements if the batting side doesn’t last at least 80 overs.
Because England’s first innings only lasted 76.2 overs, the Aussies narrowly avoided losing eight WTC points and having heavy fines applied. The Poms weren’t so lucky, with Australia batting 117.3 overs in the first innings to trigger the punishments.
The fact Australia could be well under the required rate and escape sanction altogether sums up the slightly farcical nature of the rules. England will now cop sanctions despite only being half as slow as Australia.
Ben Stokes had called for changes to over-rate laws
Earlier this year, Stokes had called on the ICC to scrap the over-rate punishments and highlighted a lack of equality for the different nations. Stokes pointed out the likes of England, Australia and South Africa will be punished more often because their home conditions dictate the use of faster bowlers more often.
Teams like India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will rarely get over-rate punishments because they predominantly use spinners, which helps them get through the overs quicker. Australia were so far behind in Brisbane because they left Nathan Lyon out in favour of an all-out pace attack.
“You can’t have the same rules in Asia, where spin is bowling 70 per cent of the overs, to have the same laws in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it’s going to be 70 or 80 per cent of seam bowled, because the spinner’s over takes less time than the seamer’s over,” he said in July. “Common sense would think that you should look at changing how the over-rates are timed in different continents.”
England were docked a whopping 22 points for over-rate infringements in the last World Test Championship cycle. Australia infamously missed out on the WTC final in 2021 due to points lost for over rates.