Australia and England’s World Test Championship standings have been impacted negatively as they have lost two points each due to their slow over rates during the first Ashes Test held at Edgbaston.
Along with the deduction, players from both teams have also been fined 40 per cent of their match fees. The decision was made by Andy Pycroft, a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, after determining that both teams fell short of their targets by two overs, even after considering time allowances.
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Pat Cummins, the captain of the Australian team, and his English counterpart Ben Stokes accepted the sanctions, eliminating the need for formal hearings.
As a result, Australia’s World Test Championship points now stand at 10 after their first Test in the new cycle.
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England, on the other hand, faces a setback as they now lag behind all eight of their competitors in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle.
Australia, led by Cummins, secured victory over India to claim the WTC23 crown at The Oval earlier this month.
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The ongoing Ashes series marks the commencement of six series that will determine Australia’s qualification chances for the next WTC Final, set to take place at Lord’s in London in June 2025.
It is worth noting that both Australia and India were penalized for slow over rates in the WTC23 Final. As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which addresses minimum over-rate offenses, players receive a fine of 20 per cent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allocated time.
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Furthermore, Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions stipulates a deduction of one point for each over that falls short.
Consequently, two World Test Championship points have been deducted from the total points of both teams.
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