- England have been penalized several times for their slow pace of excess
- Ben Stokes complained earlier this week that his team were docked points.
- But excessive rates are not enough and something needs to be done about it.
The World Test Championship is a good idea, but I don’t understand it. And that’s where the problems begin.
Some countries are playing many tests and others very few. If you’re in a league, you’ll probably have to play the same number of trials and you’ll have to play with each other!
They don’t do it and that’s why no one takes it seriously. England are in sixth place having played 20 Tests, while Sri Lanka and South Africa, both above England, have played 19 Tests combined. It doesn’t fit. We’re trying to make the game more engaging, but it’s unnecessarily complicated.
Test cricket should be celebrated and the WTC should make every match important, but try explaining that to a newcomer. They would just walk away scratching their heads. England captain Ben Stokes called it “absolutely confusing” and that sums it up.
I agree with Ben regarding the WTC, but I slightly disagree with him regarding the overcharge penalties he has complained about. It is not unreasonable to play 90 overs in a day. There are so many silly interruptions for drinks, gloves, bats, towels and pills. They have to stop. The responsibility falls on the players.
It’s a nightmare for me when players start having a drink even though it’s not a drinks break, or when the non-striker walks around the wicket mid-play. The authorities have to take drastic measures and apply the rules of the game. The batter must be ready to receive when the pitcher is at the beginning of his career. They use a stopwatch in limited overs cricket and maybe it’s time to have one in Tests.
Ben Stokes unhappy with England being docked World Test Championship points for slow over-pace
But his team has been constantly warned and a deterrent to slow play is needed.
England won the first Test against New Zealand but must start getting through their overs faster.
When I was a referee, the ICC told us that there was no reason for a player to drink, except in cases of extreme heat and risk of dehydration.
There is a lackadaisical attitude towards the laws and 15 per cent fines are incidental because they do not deter a team. If there was a proper deterrent, such as suspending captains, that would have an effect.
In my day, we played 18 games an hour, but we picked two quicks, an all-rounder and two spinners, rain or shine. Now we choose four rapids, unless you are in Asia. Therefore, consideration is needed in seam-friendly places, as Stokes says.
But your argument that we should continue until the sun sets at 10pm is ridiculous. You have to take into account the fans and the broadcasters. Nobody wants to be there that long.
We have to be smarter. Cricket is becoming vulgar. It needs to be fixed quickly.