Khawaja reveals intervention in ICC over-rate change

Usman Khawaja has revealed his part in directly lobbying the International Cricket Council (ICC) to soften over-rate penalties midway through the Ashes, a move Australia hope will ensure their Word Test Championship (WTC) title defence is not put in jeopardy.

The ICC last week announced changes to over-rate sanctions in Tests after heavy penalties were handed down following the WTC final between Australia and India, and then the ensuing first Ashes Test.

In addition to players being fined 40 per cent of their match fees after both Australia and England were found to be two overs behind at Edgbaston, the two teams were then also docked two WTC points each.

Even harsher penalties looked set to be handed down following the Lord's Test, putting a repeat of Australia's agonising absence from the 2021 WTC final due to an over-rate violation during the 2020 Boxing Day Test back on the cards.

But, amid discontent from both Australia and England, Khawaja directly contacted the ICC's general manager Wasim Khan. The governing body then altered the rules after a chief executives' conference in Durban.

It is a move that will save his teammates (and his opponents) thousands of dollars in fines and should lessen the hit to their WTC points tally.

Under the revised ICC rules, over-rate penalties for innings that last less than 80 overs have been voided (the previous threshold was 60 overs) while match fee fines have been capped at 50 per cent.

Previously, teams could lose their entire match fee, as India players did after last month's WTC final. Australia's maiden title in that event – which netted the team a US$1.6 million (A$2.4 million) prize purse – was soured by their players being docked 80 per cent of their match fees.

"I was pretty frustrated with what was happening," Khawaja said in Manchester on Sunday ahead of the fourth Ashes Test.

"I'm an ACA (Australian Cricketers' Association) Board member … and just thought someone has to find a way to speak to the ICC about it.

"We had played three games and they'd been three really good games with results, entertainment, the WTC (final) was the highest-watched Test match ever or something like that.

"Just really good stuff – and we were getting fined 80 per cent of our match fee. It's a lot of money.

"Just really frustrating as a player. You are giving it your all out there, providing entertainment, then you are getting stung for it. Just felt like I needed to speak and Wasim was really good."

Khan is a former chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, with Khawaja developing a relationship with him from his time in the Pakistan Super League.

The 36-year-old opening batter said Test captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald, who worked with Khan when he was chief executive at Leicestershire where the Australian was appointed to his first major coaching role back in 2014, had also contacted the ICC GM.

While the changes are retrospective, Australia are not out of the woods just yet.

An ICC spokesperson was unable to clarify whether Australia and England's two-point WTC penalties from the Edgbaston Test, which are still showing on the standings on the ICC's website, will remain in place.

Over-rate penalties for the second and third Ashes Tests are also yet to be confirmed by the ICC.

Under the old rules, as many as 13 points could have been docked from Australia's WTC tally after the Lord's Test when over rates were particularly lousy given neither team had a frontline spin bowler after Nathan Lyon tore his calf.

That would have cancelled out the 12 WTC points Australia received for their victory.

England getting bowled out in under 80 overs in their first innings at Lord's should ensure that penalty is not as severe for Cummins' men.

With Australia batting more than 100 overs in both their innings, the hosts could still face significant WTC points penalties from that match.

None of the four innings in the third Test at Headingley lasted 80 overs, but Australia's over-rate in the fourth innings of that match (in which England chased down their target of 251 seven wickets down) could come under the microscope after just two of the 50 overs were bowled by a spinner.

The ICC stated in its media release on the rule change that the 80-over threshold only gets the bowling team off the hook if the batting team is "bowled out", wording replicated in previous editions of the playing conditions.

Khawaja wants over-rate sanctions to be nullified if a result is achieved before tea on the final day of a Test.  

"You've got laws and rules. They've been there for a very long time. Sometimes you just have to look back on them and to see if you need an update a little bit," he said.

Khawaja argued that the prevalence of fast bowlers over spinners in places like England and Australia leaves them at a disadvantage compared to India, who have made the decider of both editions of the WTC so far.

"We are trying to go as fast as we can. It's the conditions that make it hard for us. If you are in India we are never behind the over-rate (with) two spinners going at it," said Khawaja.

"We were getting results, that's what was frustrating. I think England were frustrated with it, too.

"Wasim Khan actually listening to the players, getting the feedback and finding the compromise, it's the first time I've been involved that something like that has happened at ICC.

"Think it's a really good step forward."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: England won by three wickets

Fourth Test: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood