"Good on you ICC" - England captain Ben Stokes issues sarcastic response after WTC points deduction due to slow over rate
England Test captain Ben Stokes spoke out against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its decision to impose sanctions due to slow over rate. Following the first Test in Christchurch, England and New Zealand were docked three points each in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings and fined 15 percent of their match fees.
A statement released by ICC on Tuesday, December 3, mentioned that both Ben Stokes and Tom Latham had accepted the charges laid down by the match referee, which meant that a formal hearing was not required. However, the England captain posted a story on Instagram, expressing his displeasure over the decision.
England and New Zealand were three overs short of the cut-off as the contest finished on Day 4. The visitors made easy work of the 104-run target, chasing it down inside 13 overs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
"Good on you ICC. Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left," Stokes wrote on Instagram.
England were knocked out of the WTC final race after their 1-2 series defeat against Pakistan away from home recently.
England have been docked 22 points in the ongoing WTC cycle
The Ben Stokes-led side have been the biggest victims of the strict over-rate regulations by the ICC. They have been deducted 22 points in the cycle already, with a vast majority (19) coming during their first assignment in the form of a five-match home Ashes series against Australia.
The skipper had labeled the concept of WTC as 'utterly confusing' ahead of the series opener against New Zealand.
"In all honesty, the World Test Championship, it is a bit confusing, it’s one of those where, you know we don’t really look at it, I don’t look at it. It’s one of those where over a long period of time if you’re playing really good cricket, you’re getting results that you want, you’ll end up finding yourself there in the final and in the mix," Stokes had told media (via the Indian Express).
England have played the most number of matches in the current WTC cycle. With 20 Tests already played, they have amassed 102 points with a win percentage of 42.50, leaving them in the sixth spot in the standings.
The second Test between England and New Zealand will start at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday, December 6.