The England cricket team is currently playing New Zealand in a 3-match Test series. The 1st Test ended with England winning by 8 wickets. The joys of the victory was short lived, however. Match referee, David Boon, had determined that both teams hadn't maintain the required over-rate during the series opener in Christchurch. It was by 3 overs each.
As a result, both teams were fined 15 per cent of their match fees and penalised three crucial World Test Championship (WTC) competition points, adding another layer of intrigue to the race for the final. The ICC stated, "New Zealand and England were both found to be three overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration, with sides penalised one point for each over they were found short."
England Test skipper, Ben Stokes and New Zealand captain, Tom Latham, accepted the charges and the proposed sanctions, negating the need for a formal hearing. Reacting to the news, Stokes wrote on Instagram, "Good on you ICC (accompanied by three shrugging emojis). "Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left."
It was the latest in a string of excuses during the Stokes/McCullum era when things have not gone their way such as Joe Root’s strange remark that "Coldplay can’t be number one every week" after their loss to Sri Lanka at The Oval in September or Stokes saying they are not a "results-driven team" following Australia’s amazing win at Edgbaston last year.
The Bazball philosophy is built around entertainment; but it seems to only apply when England are batting. The ICC’s intent with deducting WTC points as a penalty is that it will speed team’s up.
However, in England’s case, if they do not care about the competition, let alone the sanction, they are going to keep plodding along when the second Test starts in Wellington tomorrow (6 December).
In Tests, outside of the subcontinent - where there is less spin being bowled, England have only gotten through 90 overs on the first day of a Test match when bowling once during the Bazball era.
Despite mixing around their bowling attack at various times due to the retirements of Stuart Broad and James (Jimmy) Anderson as well as injuries to the likes of Mark Wood; England have regularly taken 20 wickets since Stokes and McCullum took charge.
They slow the game down and halt the batting side’s momentum, while keeping their bowlers fresher by allowing them to take their time.
However, if slow over rates is a seemingly never-ending issue in Test cricket that drives fans mad; they simply want to watch as much cricket as possible, especially when paying to attend a day’s play.
Stokes previously expressed his views about the WTC, calling it, "utterly confusing." He admitted to not prioritising the competition.
However, it's become apparent that Stokes is now seeking clarity over the sanctions. He voiced his concerns regarding the International Cricket Council's (ICC) communication with players about over-rate penalties. He believes the ICC should review its over-rate regulations for the WTC. He said, "There needs to be some consideration around how over-rates are going to differ."
He continued, "Obviously you get way more seam bowled in England, Australia, New Zealand and than when you go to Asia, where it’s a lot more spin and there’s never going to be an issue."
He hasn't signed an over-rate sheet since the Ashes Test at Lord’s last year as he is waiting to have conversations with the ICC over his concerns around the over-rate calculations. He said, "The most frustrating thing, from both teams’ points of view, is that the game finished early, there was a result. But I think the frustration actually stems back to last year in the Ashes where it was the first time I really brought it up to the match referee and the umpires."
Tom Latham has since echoed Stokes' comments. He said, "It’s certainly a challenge to get through those 15 overs an hour if the ball is flying to the boundary a little bit more than usual." "We’ve seen in the subcontinent, where a lot of spin is used, that it isn’t necessarily an issue."
"We know from our point of view we’ve got to be better. We’ll certainly be trying our best throughout the Wellington Test. But maybe it’s something that does need to be reviewed, because we certainly try our best, and no team wants to be behind on the over-rate. It certainly is a challenge and it might need to be reviewed."
Interestingly, had England not been penalised that often, they could be standing at a win percentage of 51.66%. With 2 Tests still to be played, they would've been in a place to reach the final.
I find the comments made by Stokes to be baffling. You can't, at one point, joke about something but then all of a sudden make a big issue out of it. It's important to take one side so that people know where you stand. Having different attitudes can confuse people and leave them scratching their heads. Everyone needs clarity.