England team have been fined 100 per cent of their match fee and penalised five ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate against Australia in the first Test of the Ashes series, played in Brisbane.
David Boon of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Joe Root’s men were adjudged to be five overs short of the target after time allowances were considered.
In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, five World Test Championship points have been deducted from England’s points total.
Travis Head fined as well
Meanwhile, Australia batter Travis Head has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Head was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an International Match.”
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Head, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period. The incident occurred in the 77th over of Australia’s first innings on Thursday (December 10), when Head used inappropriate language after he was beaten on a delivery from Ben Stokes.
The 27-year old batsman admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the Match Referee and ratified by the ICC Cricket Operations department as per the COVID-19 interim playing regulations. On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker, third umpire Paul Wilson and fourth official Sam Nogajski levelled the charges.
