Since last year’s Ashes Test at Lord’s, Ben Stokes has not yet signed an over-rate charge sheet.
Following England and New Zealand’s over-rate penalties from their opening Test match in Christchurch, England Test captain Ben Stokes once again refused to sign an over-rate charge sheet, continuing his year-long protest against the International Cricket Council (ICC). Since last year’s Ashes Test at Lord’s, Stokes has not yet signed an over-rate charge sheet.
Both England and New Zealand’s dreams of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Lord’s next year were dashed when they were fined points and a 15% match fee. New Zealand fell from fourth to sixth place in the points standings as a result of the ICC legislation.
Due to a sluggish over-rate penalty, England lost 22 points overall in the current 2023–25 WTC cycle. During the Ashes 2023 series, they really lost 19 of the 28 points they had earned.
“From the perspective of both teams, the most annoying thing is that the game ended early; a result was reached. Stokes was reported by ESPNcricinfo as stating, “But I think the frustration actually stems back to last year in the Ashes where it was the first time I really brought it up to the match referee and the umpires.”
“I suppose the most annoying part is that, depending on where you are in the world and the type of cricket being played, there is always a problem. Because so much spin is played in Asia, there is seldom a problem with over-rate.
Stokes explains why he is protesting.
Stokes, who was spotted having a long conversation with match referee David Boon, who issued the punishment at the conclusion of the First Test, explained why he hasn’t signed the over-rate sheet since the Ashes Test last year after previously voicing his disapproval of the ICC’s regulation for slow over-rate.
“The two conversations I’ve had with the match referees have actually been very good and the match referees have handled it very, very well and been very understanding from a player’s point of view,” Stokes stated.
“But it’s been over a year now since I made some comments around the over rates and still to this day we’re yet to hear any response back from anyone at the ICC around that.”
Jacob Oram, the current assistant coach of the Kiwis and a former fast bowler for New Zealand, agreed with Stokes but believed the Blackcaps had learnt their lesson.
“There are results in most Test matches now and runs are being scored at a frenetic pace and wickets are falling all over the place, there is a lot of entertainment,” Oram stated on Wednesday. There is a lot going on whether you bowl 90 or 85 overs, so I believe we need to strike a balance and get some insight.
“We’re going to have to accept the lesson and grow from it. It all boils down to hustling, ensuring that bowlers are performing their duties, people are putting up the necessary energy, and everyone is settling into position as soon as possible.”
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