England, Australia Docked WTC Points For Maintaining Slow Over Rates During Ashes 2023

England and Australia faced penalties in the ICC World Test Championship for maintaining slow over-rates during the men's Ashes series. The revised regulations dictated a fine of five percent of their match fee and a deduction of one WTC point for every over they fell short.

In the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Australia's slow over-rate cost them 10 WTC points. Meanwhile, England lost a total of 19 points across four Tests – the first Test at Edgbaston, the second Test at Lord's, the fourth Test at Old Trafford, and the last Test at The Oval – due to their inability to bowl the required number of overs.

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The over-rate sanctions in Tests were updated during the ICC Annual Conference in Durban on July 13 and applied from the start of the current WTC cycle.

Australia received a 50 percent fine of their match fee for being 10 overs short in the fourth Test. This amounted to five percent for each over short, with a maximum penalty of 50 percent of their match fee.

England faced fines of 10 percent, 45 percent, 15 percent, and 25 percent of their match fee for slow-over rate offenses in the first, second, fourth, and fifth Tests, respectively.

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England's slow over-rate in the first Test also resulted in a deduction of two WTC points, following the new regulations applied retrospectively from the beginning of the third edition of the World Test Championship.

The closely contested Ashes series concluded in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with England securing a 49-run victory in the last Test on July 31. Despite the drawn series, Australia retained the Ashes trophy as the previous winners.