World Test Championship: ICC penalties for slow over rates creates absurd result

In a botched attempt to solve the game’s slow over-rate problem, the International Cricket Council has instead completely devalued its own attempt to crown the best Test cricketing nation.

This is the table that proves cricket’s World Test Championship has become a farce.

The results are in from the greatest Test series since the 2005 Ashes and apparently the West Indies are a better team than England.

In a botched attempt to solve the game’s slow over-rate problem, the International Cricket Council has over-corrected to the point that the next Test Championship Final in two years’ time may not feature the two best teams.

England won two Test matches in a five Test series yet find themselves lower ranked than the Windies who have a loss and a draw from the two Tests they’ve played against India.

That Indian team is placed higher than Australia on the ladder for one win and a draw, despite Pat Cummins’ team having two victories and a draw.

Clearly it’s only the start of a two-year Test Championship campaign and things may even themselves out over time, but the early signs are alarming for the legitimacy of the title Australia are now out to defend.

In the ICC’s defence, something does need to be done about slow over-rates which have become a blight on Test cricket and were a problem during the Ashes.

However, losing a championship point for every over short isn‘t the answer, particularly because it fails to take in the overall context of the match.

In total, England were docked 19 points during the Ashes for slow over rates, and Australia 10.

Umpires need to get more proactive about enforcing over-rates in game and devising in-game punishments like we see in white ball cricket might be the better way to send a strong message, without sabotaging the championship product at the same time.

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

It’s an absurd situation when Australia is losing 10 points for slow over-rates in the fourth Test, when the last two days were lost to rain and the second innings was never even bowled.

England were punished even more heavily through the series, and perhaps disproportionately so for the fact they bat so quickly and were often all out within 90 overs, as opposed to the Australians who bat time.

You couldn’t say this was a slow-moving Ashes which was putting people to sleep. It was the opposite. Thrill a minute action.

Every Test was a result Test except in Manchester when it took two days of pouring rain to stop England getting the win.

Losing Moeen Ali midway through the first Test and for the second Test also adversely affected England who then had to rotate only pace bowlers.

And the ICC ladder shows spin to win may be the only way to guarantee a WTC Final spot.

Are the current over rate targets even realistic these days‘ given DRS reviews, concussion checks and all the other hoo ha that goes on?

If the ICC ends up with a situation where Pakistan, the West Indies or New Zealand make the next WTC Final instead of Australia or England simply because they’ve maintained better over-rates … it will be the end of the competition being taken seriously by players and fans.

But there is one upside. In a drawn Ashes series … the ICC‘s points’ system has produced a winner … Australia 18 defeated England 9.