Ben Stokes has said he is against the International Cricket Council over the world body’s late over-rate fines by not signing any post-match paperwork after the Aces.
The ICC rules state that Test matches should be played at the rate of 15 overs per hour and there is an extra time of 30 minutes per day for slow over rates. But according to Stokes, the over rate can be maintained in Asia where spin-dominant teams run their overs quickly while the rules for countries where speed is a dominant currency have not been revised.
In previous WTC finals, Australia were fined 80% of their match fee at The Oval while India were fined 100%.
“The most frustrating thing is that it depends on where you are in the world and the style of cricket you play,” Stokes said, according to the Guardian. ‘Because of how much spin bowling is done, there is never an over rate problem in Asia. I think some consideration needs to be given to how the over rates differ when it’s a SIM-affected Test match.”
“I haven’t signed an over-rate sheet from Lord’s in the Ashes,” Stokes said, claiming his frustration was shared by other teams. “I won’t until we hear some communication back from the ICC. We are still waiting for that. But they still charge you a fine. “
Stokes said there was a lack of understanding as to why the late over-rate would happen and the ICC’s one-shoe-fits-all approach was not conducive or conducive to changing the situation. One of the issues, according to Stokes, was field placement and how as captain he liked to constantly change his field – a phenomenon that creates a battle between slowing down the game and giving bowlers a competitive advantage through field settings.
“We are not being slow on purpose,” Stokes added. “When you’re out in the middle it’s hard to find where you can get time back. As a captain, I like to change things a lot. Six balls in an over (for each) the field can be completely different. Not being taken into account and being told to hurry doesn’t fix it.”