England, Australia Handed Big Penalties; WTC Final Chances Affected Badly
Ben Stokes and Travis Head during Ashes 2023 (AP Photos)
In what comes as a massive setback for both England and Australia, the two teams have been fined for maintaining slow over-rate during the recently-concluded Ashes.
As per the sanctions announced in the ICC Annual Conference in Durban, South Africa on 13th July, teams are to be penalised five percent of their match fees and one WTC point for every over short.
The hosts, England, had earned 12 points each for two wins and four points for a draw in the Ashes 2023. However, 19 points have been deducted from their overall tally as they fell two overs short in the first Test at Edgbaston, nine in the second Test at Lord's, three in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, and five in the fifth Test at the Oval.
Moreover, Ben Stokes and Co. have been fined 10 percent for the first Test, 45 percent for the second, 15 percent for the fourth, and 25 percent for the fifth of their match fee for maintaining slow over-rates during these fixtures.
As for Australia, they have lost 10 points to slow over-rate, almost half as compared to England. Interestingly, the visiting side could not complete their target quota only in the Manchester clash and as a result their points count stands at 18 currently.
Also, they have been fined 50 percent of their match fee as they were 10 overs in the penultimate Test of the series.
Notably, Australia retained the Ashes urn on the back of a 2-2 series-draw.
 "Aayush Mahajan")
