‘Makes a lot of sense...’: Usman Khawaja fumes at ICC’s Ashes punishment for Aussies

Usman Khawaja has criticised cricket’s governing body after they handed down a harsh penalty for Australia’s performance in the Ashes.

England and Australia have been docked significant chunks of points in the World Test Championship for slow over rates during the Ashes series.

Having gained 28 points in a series that finished 2-2, with Australia retaining the urn, England have lost 19 for infringements in four of the five Tests.

It leaves England with just nine points in the third edition of the WTC, dropping them below the West Indies, who have played just two matches and are yet to record a win.

Teams are required to bowl 90 overs a day.

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Australia, who beat India in the World Test Championship final in June, had 10 points deducted from their tally by the International Cricket Council.

The ICC statement said: “Australia have been penalised 10 WTC points and fined 50 per cent of their match fee after being found to be 10 overs short in the fourth Test in Manchester.”

The punishment wasn’t received well by Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who was furious his side was punished for falling just 10 overs short of the overs target in the rain affected fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Usman Khawaja thought the ICC over rates punishment was unfairly harsh. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Khawaja tweeted: “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...”

Khawaja had met with ICC officials midway through the series to lobby Australia’s case after talk the team faced having their victory in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s wiped out in the World Test Championship due to slow over rates.

The ICC reportedly considered taking 13 WTC points off Australia, but it seems Khawaja smoothed things over and the Aussies overall emerged from the Ashes with less penalties than England.

A Test match win is worth 12 points in the WTC scoring system, so it would have been a seriously hefty punishment.

Australia famously qualified for the inaugural WTC final in 2021 but only missed out because Tim Paine’s side bowled too slowly in the home series loss to India.

Both Australia and England were docked 40 per cent of their match fee for slow over rates in the first Test at Edgbaston.

Were the Aussies punished harshly by the ICC? (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Fining players from the leading Test cricket nations like Australia, England and India doesn’t appear to be a sufficient deterrent, so there have been increases WTC points penalties in recent years.

Slow over rates have long been a bugbear for cricket fans and commentators, who are calling for far harsher punishments than match fee payments being docked.

Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming said on SEN during the Ashes: “The penalty’s got to be harsh. Lose fielders — I don’t know what it is but the penalties don’t seem to harm them enough.”

Commentator Adam Collins added: “The players have never had to pay the fines. It’s a farce. The fines are comical.”

New Corp cricket journalist Peter Lalor said: “They lost all their match fee from Lord’s. It doesn’t matter to the players. It’s just beer money.”

The Ashes series was drawn 2-2 but interestingly according to the ICC’s WTC points breakdown, Australia won the series 18-9.

Slow over rates have long been a problem for Test cricket. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Australia defeated India in the WTC Final to win the second edition of Test cricket’s new two-year format.

In the early stages of the new cycle, Australia is third in the standings behind Pakistan and India.

Khawaja was also critical of the process which saw the umpires replace an out of shape ball with a much newer one, a decision that turned the fourth innings of the fifth Test in England’s favour.

The ICC declined to comment on the specific instance at The Oval, but pointed out the protocols surrounding selection of a replacement ball.

“We can, however, confirm that all balls are preselected before the start of every match and when the situation calls for it, the match officials choose the ball that is closest to the condition of the ball that is being replaced.”

CURRENT WTC STANDINGS

1. Pakistan - 100% (24 pts from 2 matches)

2. India - 66.67% (16 pts from 2 matches)

3. Australia - 30% (18 pts from 5 matches)

4. West Indies - 16.67% (4 pts from 2 matches)

5. England - 15% (9 pts from 5 matches)

6. Sri Lanka - 0% (0 pts from 2 matches)

=7. Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand