‘They’ve been robbed’: Shane Warne calls for captaincy ban to solve cricket crisis

Australian cricket icon Shane Warne believes that England captain Joe Root should receive a one-match ban for this lazy captaincy.

England has once again failed to get through 90 overs in a day of Test cricket, sparking debate over the sanctions imposed on sides with slow over-rates.

Following the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, England players were fined 100 per cent of their match fee and deducted five World Test Championship points after match referee David Boon pinged the tourists for not getting through enough overs on day two.

Speaking on Fox Cricket’s The Follow-On podcast, veteran News Corp reporter Robert Craddock revealed the fines were collectively worth about $300,000.

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But the sanctions seemingly weren’t enough to spur England into getting through their overs at a quicker tempo.

Play was scheduled to finish at Adelaide Oval at 9.30pm local time on Thursday, but England had only bowled 73 overs when the iconic scoreboard’s clock ticked past 9pm.

An additional 30 minutes were played to achieve the required overs, but England still fell short of the minimum target.

Depending on Boon’s assessment of the play’s action, Joe Root and his teammates could be staring down the barrel of yet another penalty.

England did not select a strike spinner for the second Test, opting instead for a five-man pack attack.

Root bowled 11 overs of his part-time off-spin in the hope of racing through some overs, much to the frustration of former Australian captain Mark Taylor.

“He has brought himself on now and he’s bowling in at leg stump or down the leg side just to get through these overs,” he said on Triple M commentary.

“How about getting a wicket or two and then taking the new ball? I think the tactics are terrible, they stink.”

Former Test batter Greg Blewett was equally perplexed on Channel 7: “They were way down in Brisbane ... surely that was their main point going into this bowling innings. It’s just mind-boggling.”

53 overs in 2 sessions…. Looks like England are hardly going to get any overs with a 2nd new ball under lights tonight through their own doing. I know it’s hot out there but it’s heading for 40 degrees tmrw if England are still bowling into day two… #Ashes

— Alison Mitchell (@AlisonMitchell) December 16, 2021

This over rate is horrible. Won’t get 90 overs in….again! #Ashes

— Peter Psaltis (@peterp79) December 16, 2021

New slow over rates thought:

Teams so obviously behind the rate as England are now, don't get the benefit of the new ball..#Ashes

— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) December 16, 2021

Speaking on Fox Cricket, Australian great Shane Warne suggested that captains should receive one-match bans if their side is slack in the field.

“I sit on the World Cricket Committee, and often talk about the over-rate issue and what’s the appropriate fine,” he explained.

“A lot of us on that committee have talked about not having a fine for over-rates, but the captain misses the next game, because if you don’t bowl your overs in time, the financial penalties don’t seem to be working, and they haven’t worked for a while.

“In the first Test, the entire England team got fined their entire match fee, and they’re still miles behind in this match.

“What about the people that paid their money up in the Gabba to see a full day’s play of 90 overs? They’ve been robbed.

“If the captain doesn’t play the next Test if you don’t bowl your overs in time, you watch them get through the overs.”

Warne also pointed out that by falling behind the required over-rate, England had cost themselves precious time with the swinging pink Kookaburra under artificial lights.

“They’re penalising themselves,” he said. “This is the one Test match you don’t want to be short of your over-rate.

“You want as much time as you can under lights with the hard, new ball.”

England was not helped by a lengthy DRS review in the first session, where third umpire Paul Reiffel examined footage of David Warner hitting the ball onto his front pad for about five minutes.

The batting side is sometimes responsible for slow over-rates as well – for example, Australian captain Steve Smith signalled to the dressing room for new gloves after just 15 deliveries at the crease on Thursday.

England captain Joe Root. Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Speaking to reporters at stumps, England assistant coach Graham Thorpe suggested “temperatures” and the “make-up of the team” were partly to blame.

“I think there’s bigger things going on in the world than over-rates,” he said.

“You get through as quick as you can – reviews are taking time to get through as well, sometimes batsmen aren’t ready.

“Minutes get lost throughout the day’s cricket. It’s just one those things in Test cricket.

“We’d like it all to be more perfect and everything, but it isn’t.

“It’s challenging at times – everyone thinks it’s straightforward getting through at the perfect time, but it isn’t. It’s much harder.”

Australia is 2/221 at stumps on day one, with Marnus Labuschagne unbeaten on 95 and Smith on 18 at the other end.

The second Ashes Test will resume on Friday afternoon at 3pm AEDT.