The ICC have reduced the penalties for teams maintaining poor over rates in the World Test Championship, as well as making it easier for teams to avoid incurring those penalties in changes to the tournament’s playing conditions announced today.

Over rates have long been a bugbear of both spectators and pundits alike, who often feel short-changed and aggrieved that the ‘extra’ half hour is almost always used in Test cricket, and that the supposed minimum number of overs in a day’s play, which is 90, is sometimes not achieved even with the extra time in use.

Generally, the criticism of the rules is that the rule-makers are too lenient on teams being slow to get through their overs, with in-game penalties offered as a solution to ensure that teams keep up with the rate. However, the ICC have moved to make punishments for poor over rates less harsh, with teams now docked five per cent of their match fees for each over they are short of the minimum rate, down from 20 per cent, and with the total amount they can be docked capped at 50 per cent.

England were docked the entirety of their match fees for being five overs short of their match fees against Australia at Hobart in 2021, while Shubman Gill effectively had to pay to play in the World Test Championship final, after copping both an over rate and a Code of Conduct penalty.

The ICC have also raised the threshold of the length of an innings for which a team’s over rate will be calculated. Currently, if a bowling team is in the field for 60 overs or fewer, then if they are below the minimum over rate for that innings, that over rate will not be taken into account when calculating their match over rate. That threshold has since been increased to 80 overs. Five of the 12 team innings in the current men’s Ashes have been between 60 and 80 overs long, as were both innings Australia bowled in the World Test Championship final.

“The ICC World Test Championship has injected renewed energy into Test cricket giving it compelling context,” ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair Sourav Ganguly said. “In the last edition we only had 12 draws in 69 matches, and we want to ensure that trend continues whilst we’re giving fans the best value for money and keeping over-rates up.

“The Men’s Cricket Committee felt strongly that over-rate penalties in the form of WTC points deductions should remain but recommended that players should not have 100 per cent of their match fee at risk. We believe this provides a balance between maintaining over-rates and ensuring we are not deterring players from playing Test cricket.”

Also announced by the ICC, equal prize money will now be awarded at men’s and women’s events, while the release boasted of an increase in funding for member nations. Another change will affect franchise T20 competitions, with teams in such leagues now required to field at least seven local or associate members in each XI.