How Australia opener Usman Khawaja's intervention made ICC change slow over-rate penalties

Opener Usman Khawaja probably saved Australia AUD 25,000 and 14 WTC points.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has revealed how his intervention saved Australia a huge amount of money and also led to the ICC making changes to the over-rate penalties.

At the recently held annual conference of the ICC in Durban, the governing body of the game approved changes to over-rate sanctions in Test cricket to balance the need for over-rates to be maintained and ensure players are appropriately remunerated.

"As such players will be fined 5% of their match fee for each over short up to a maximum of 50%. If a team is bowled out before the new ball is due at 80 overs, there will be no over-rate penalty applied even if there is a slow over rate. This replaces the current 60 over threshold," the ICC said.  

Now, Usman Khawaja revealed how he had approached Wasim Khan, the ICC's general manager, to raise concerns about the existing rule in play which saw players lose 20% of their match fee for each over short of the deemed target.

Australia's players were fined 80% of their match fee (India were fined 100%) at the World Test Championship final last month and subsequently lost another 40% of the fee after the Ashes-opening Edgbaston Test.

"I was pretty frustrated with what was happening. "I 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, [providing] entertainment and we were getting fined 80% of our match fee. It's a lot of money. We've been behind the over-rates a bit, ICC has been stinging us a bit. Thankfully they have come around and changed some of those fines, which was killing me.

I've known Wasim Khan, he was part of Pakistan [PCB] and I played in PSL so got to know him. Just kept in touch and he's now GM at the ICC. I'm an ACA board member so I do look at what's around cricket. I 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, and 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% of our match fee. It's a lot of money,” Usman Khawaja said at the presser in built up to Manchester Test.

Usman Khawaja saved close to AUD 25,000 and 14 WTC points overall for Australia

Usman Khawaja further revealed that not only he talked to Wasim Khan, but also got the ICC GM to listen to concerns of Australia captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald.

“Wasim was really good, got him on text, called him, and we talked. He took the feedback. Patty [Pat Cummins] talked to him, Andrew McDonald talked to him, and to his credit it wasn't just listening and no action. Actions happened within one or two weeks.

They came back to us, there was a bit of compromise. 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, two spinners going at it. We were getting results, that's what was frustrating. Think England was 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,” Usman Khawaja added.

Australia could gain from the new laws as they bowled out England in their second innings at Edgbaston within 80 overs, but the International Cricket Council has still to confirm what the fines and points deductions for the early Ashes Tests would be.

"I appreciate the ICC actually listening to players. Wasim Khan there at the ICC talked to us about the stuff and got feedback from the players. It's the first time I have had that with the ICC. No one has really mentioned that. I thought I would get out there and mention it because it is pretty cool," Usman Khawaja signed off.