Australia and England protest amid fear losing significant WTC points from first two Ashes Tests

Pat Cummins’ team has won both matches since winning the World Test Championship but unless an appeal to the ICC is successful, their reign could be short lived.

Australia, the reigning World Test Champions, are bracing for a massive over rate penalty, reviving memories of a smaller impost which cost the side a place in the inaugural 2021 World Test Championship final.

The Australian and English boards have taken the issue to the ICC asking for the regulations to be changed after umpires hit them with severe penalties for being below the over rates required for the thrilling Lord‘s contest and the previous match at Edgbaston.

Australia could be docked up to 13 points from its WTC points tally and players will lose all their match payments from the Lord’s match while England is facing a six to nine point deduction and loss of match fees.

The 2025 WTC finalists are decided by a point and percentage system across the next two years.

Teams lose one point and 20 per cent of their match fee for every over they did not bowl.

Australia was 11 overs behind at Lord’s and two at Edgbaston after losing spinner Nathan Lyon during the match.

The Australians will be asked to stump up over $200,000 and the English in excess of $240,000 after playing in one of the more exciting matches of the modern era at Lord’s.

The penalty loss comes after both sides lost two WTC points at Edgbaston in the first Test and 40 per cent of their match fees.

The Australian players lost 80 per cent of their match fee in the World Test Championship final at The Oval while the Indians lost all of their money.

England and Australia are understood to have contested the match referees assessment and want their case taken up at the next ICC chief executives committee meeting so a change can be made to the conditions of play.

There is a review in process, but the ICC and teams would make no public comment.

England and Australia have the backing of their boards on the issue and it is understood the England Cricket Board might even pick up the tab for its XI.

The Ashes have been an extraordinary success, due in no small measure to the team‘s style of play and the relentless nature of the contest.

The ICC, however, knows only the sum of overs bowled.

The WTC table was reset following the final but only England and Australia have played Tests In that period. Both games have led to point deductions and fines while being celebrated for providing 10 days of exciting cricket and two close finishes.

England and Australia believe the current over rate calculations are unfair and are asking for changes to the way penalties are imposed, but don’t expect other countries – who are competing for a place in the WTC final – to have any sympathy.

Essentially both sides will argue that this Ashes needs special consideration for a number of reasons including that nobody could argue the first two Tests did not provide fans with an entertaining spectacle worth the price of admission.

Under the current playing conditions sides are given consideration for time lost to medical treatment, players leaving the field with serious injury, the batting side wasting time and “all other circumstances that are beyond the control of the fielding side”.

All is forgiven if the side bowls the opposition out within 60 overs in an innings or 120 across the match.

Rule 12.9.6 says “If, at the end of the match, the over rate calculation determines that a team has bowled one or more overs less than the minimum over rate requirement, that team will incur one Penalty Over for each full over the team falls short of its minimum over rate required in a match,

Rule 12.9.7 concludes “A team will have one (1) World Test Championship competition point deducted from its points totals for each Penalty Over it incurs during the Round Stage”.

Australia was docked four points in the 2021-22 MCG Test against India by match referee David Boon. This dropped their total back to 332 points and a percentage of 69.2% which allowed New Zealand to scrape through by 0.8 per cent.

Without the penalty both sides would have been on the same percentage and Australia would have gone through for its superior strike rate.

Coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine both expressed their disappointment with the decision which meant they missed the inaugural final in 2021.

“(The game) finished 13 overs into India‘s second innings on day four,” he wrote. ”We would have bowled Nathan Lyon the next two hours if necessary and made up the time, but they chased down the runs and the game was over. It should have been a fine, but it literally cost us a place in the World Test Championship final.”

The sides believe that there need to be more allowances built into the system including erasing any over shortage if the other side is bowled out inside 80 overs, not 60 as in the current system.