Both England and New Zealand were penalised three points each for being behind their over-rate targets in the first Test of the three-match series in New Zealand. This wasn't the first time England have been penalised in this cycle of the World Test Championship. In fact, they have been docked 22 points in total across the competition for slow-over-rates.
Before the second Test in Wellington, Stokes hit out at the ICC on Instagram regarding the penalty, and reiterated his frustrations over the system for applying them. However, his former teammate and captain was less lenient on the issue.
Also read: Can Ben Stokes face sanctions for his Instagram story on England's WTC point deduction?
"It's in the rules isn't it," said Cook. "You make a mistake, you get punished. There's very little wiggle room for it - you do get a lot of time. The point Stokes has about what happens to the money... is quite a valid point, and I do question, all the fines that are accumulated by the ICC, where does it actually go? But the bottom line is, you've got to bowl your overs in the allotted time.
"It is dragging slower and slower, and it's slower than it was 15 years ago. Some of it is unavoidable with DRS, the amount of time that takes and the adverts you've got to have in. But the pace of the game is slower than it's ever been...
"I think there has to be something to try and encourage players to go around faster. Money never worked, bans never worked, points don't seem to work, so you've got to do something."
Alastair Cook has echoed England captain Ben Stokes' comments on the "confusing" World Test Championship, proposing a two-year, all-format league instead 🤔
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 5, 2024
READ: https://t.co/ouTHf21MrU pic.twitter.com/SqlcPEkqwn
Interestingly, India and Australia were also slower than the required over-rates during the first Test of their series in Perth, at times going even slower than England and New Zealand ever did in Christchurch. But they weren't penalised because neither of them bowled more than 80 overs in the first innings.
Cook: I don't understand the WTC
Cook was, howver, in agreement with Stokes as far as their understanding of the World Test Championship format is concerned. The former England captain said that it was confusing and didn't generate any real interest, proposing an alternate solution instead.
"I'm a big cricket fan and I follow the game a lot, and I don't understand it. Unfortunately, if you don't understand the tournament you're playing in and how it's worked out, it's not the easiest to follow.
Also read: Alastair Cook proposes all-format league table as alternative to ‘confusing’ World Test Championship
"I think all international cricket, T20, one day and Test matches, should be put into a table for two years and see how that looks, because then it’s not a Test Championship, it’s a World Championship."
Watch every ball of the rest of the New Zealand vs England Test Series, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 9.30pm on Thursday 5th December.
