3 Major take-aways from the ICC Annual Conference 2019

#3 Change in over-rate punishments

Virat Kohli

In the past, captains faced one-match bans for slow over-rates during their bowling innings. ICC has now decided to stop imposing bans on the captains; instead, there will be deductions in points during the ICC Test Championship.

The idea behind this new rule is to hold the entire team responsible for slow over-rates. The captain alone should not face the brunt of the punishment.

Earlier this year, West Indies captain Jason Holder was suspended for the final Test of the series against England for maintaining a slow over-rate even though the match was concluded in just 3 days. Shane Warne heavily criticized the rule and highlighted its absurdity.

The test didn’t go 3 days - can you please appeal this @JaseHolder98 ! What a ridiculous decision - where’s the common sense here ? Ps Congrats on a wonderful series win too. International cricket needs a strong Windies team & hopefully this is just the start @BrianLara https://t.co/dxKXDnAib7

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) February 3, 2019

During the Test Championship, the number of overs that a team falls behind by will be calculated and two points will be deducted per over. These point deductions might play a crucial role in the tournament.

Facing a ban for slow over-rate is a harsh call for an international captain. The ICC has made the right decision by reducing the severity of the punishment.

Now, a captain will not have over-rates at the back of his mind during a match and the team will not have the fear of losing their captain in the middle of the Test championship.