'Na khaya na piya gilas toda 12 aana' - Fans react as England and Australia lose WTC points for slow-over rate during Ashes 2023

England and Australia put on a great show of Test cricket during the recently concluded Ashes of 2023 by levelling it by 2-2

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Rohit Kumar
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Australia vs England (Source: Twitter)

England and Australia put on a great show of Test cricket during the recently concluded Ashes of 2023. Both teams fought head-to-head to bring the prestigious trophy home, and the results reflected that. The series ended in a draw as England beat Australia by 49 runs in the fifth game at The Oval on Monday.

However, in a shocking turn of events, both England and Australia were fined heavily by the Apex Cricket Council for maintaining a slow over-rate during the series. According to the Apex Cricket Council, England failed to achieve Target overs in four out of five games. It includes two overs short at Edgbaston, nine at Lord's, three at Old Trafford, and five at The Oval. On the other hand, Australia managed well in four Tests but was ten overs short at Old Trafford.

As a result, England earned just nine World Test Championship (WTC) points despite winning two games, while Australia secured 18 points (24 for two wins and four for one draw, minus ten for penalties). This placed Australia at No. 3 on the WTC table with 30 percentage points, trailing behind Pakistan (100) and India (66.67). England, with 15 points and a 16.67 percentage, stood at No. 5, below the West Indies.

Apart from WTC points, both teams also faced deductions in match fees. Australia received a 50% penalty (for ten overs) for the Old Trafford Test, while England faced fines of 10%, 45%, 15%, and 25% for the four Tests in which they fell short, respectively. This decision from the Apex Cricket Council has created a buzz on social media as fans and some cricketers find it unfair because the fourth Test match was interrupted by rain.

How Will Australia and England qualify for the WTC finals?

The penalties have added complexity to both teams' paths towards the WTC final. India secured their spot in the final by finishing second on the 2021–23 WTC table, winning 58.8% of the points they contested. Looking ahead to the 2025 final, a rough target of a 60% qualification rate is considered. For England to reach this mark, they would require 151 more points from their remaining 16 Tests. This translates to approximately 11 wins and three draws, or simply 12 wins (while avoiding any further point penalties).

On the other hand, Australia needs 137 points from their remaining 14 Tests to achieve the approximate 60% qualification rate. This could be accomplished with 10 wins, nine wins and three draws, or even eight wins and six draws. However, it has now become very difficult for England to qualify for the WTC finals given these circumstances.

Here is how fans react to the Apex Cricket Council's decision:

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