AUSvsENG: Australia-England players fined 40% of match fees, docked 2 points for breaching ICC code

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday (June 21) penalised Australia and England cricket teams for maintaining slow over-rate in the first Test of the Ashes 2023 series in Birmingham.

In a thrilling last-day encounter which was affected due to rain on Tuesday (June 20) at Edgbaston, Australia skipper Pat Cummins scored the winning runs as the visitors won the match by two wickets. The match will certainly go down as one of the most interesting games in Ashes history.

Usman Khawaja - who slammed a ton in the first innings and a gritty 65 in the run chase of 282 in the second innings - was awarded the player of the match for his heroics as the tourists go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

The match might have ended in Australia's favour but the ICC has fined both the teams for not adhering to the rules. Both teams have been fined 40 per cent of their match fee and penalised two ICC World Test Championship points each for maintaining slow over-rates in Birmingham.

Match Referee Andy Pycroft, of the ICC Elite Panel, imposed the sanctions after the teams were ruled to be two overs short of their targets after time allowances were taken into consideration.wr

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, sides are penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, two World Test Championship points will be deducted from both teams' points total.

Captains Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Marais Erasmus, third umpire Chris Gaffaney and fourth umpire Mike Burns levelled the charges.