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'That Makes a Lot of Sense...,' Usman Khawaja Sarcastically Blasts ICC Over Ashes Slow Over-Rate Penalty

image-lkttsk19Australia and England have been sanctioned heavily by the ICC

Australian opener, Usman Khawaja has openly lashed out at the International Cricket Council (ICC), questioning their vexed decision to penalize his team for slow over-rate during the recently concluded Ashes 2023.

Khawaja calls out ICC for penalizing Australia for rain-affected Manchester Test

Khawaja's frustration was apparent as he took to Twitter, launching a stinging critique of the ICC's decision.

"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 off us for slow over rates! That makes a lot of sense..." wrote Khawaja along with a facepalm emoticon.



The southpaw’s irony-laden words brought to the fore the befuddling nature of the ICC's ruling, a topic that has now ignited raging discussions within the cricketing community.

Both England and Australia's men's cricket teams felt the sting of the ICC's whip during the Ashes 2023 campaign, with significant deductions in their World Test Championship (WTC) points. 

According to the updated and much-disputed ICC regulations, players were fined 5 percent of their match fees, and each side had WTC points subtracted for falling short of the required over-count.

England, losing a total of 19 points across four Tests, and Australia, penalized with 10 points, now find their standings revised in the WTC points table. While the Aussies are placed third behind Pakistan and India, the Englishmen trail behind West Indies sitting at the fifth spot.

Despite ending the Ashes series with a nail-biting 2-2 draw and retaining the Urn, Australia's quest for their first series win in England since 2001 was thwarted by England's stunning 49-run victory in the final Test at The Oval. However, the celebrations were short-lived, as both teams soon faced the consequences of the ICC's over-rate penalties.