England Test captain Ben Stokes on Wednesday revealed that he hasn’t signed the over-rate sheet since the 2023 Ashes match at the Lord’s. This, Stokes says, is because he doesn’t fully agree with the rule and wants the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change it. Stokes has been in a protest against the ICC over the over-rate rule. 

The issue came to light after England and New Zealand were both docked three World Test Championship (WTC) points and were handed 15 percent match fee fines across the board for slow over-rate. Ben Stokes brought up the matter before the second Test match against New Zealand to express disappointment over the lack of action from the ICC. 

What is an over-rate sheet? 

According to ICC regulations, Test matches must be played at a minimum rate of 15 overs per hour, with an additional 30 minutes allocated each day to make up for any lost time due to a slower over rate. Each captain is required to sign the over-rate sheet as part of the post-match paperwork. 

An over-rate sheet is a record used to track the number of overs bowled by a team during a specified period within a set amount of time. It is an important tool for monitoring the pace of play and ensuring that teams are not wasting time between deliveries. The over-rate sheet helps officials and teams track whether the required over-rate is being met, and it plays a key role in managing the flow of the game. 

Why don’t sign the over-rate sheet?

England captain Ben Stokes has pointed out a discrepancy in the application of this rule. Stokes argues that in Asia, where spin-dominated teams tend to bowl quickly, maintaining the required over rate is relatively easier. In contrast, teams that rely heavily on pace bowling, often found in countries outside of Asia, struggle to meet the same over rate due to the naturally slower pace of fast bowling. 

Ben Stokes also explained that he as a captain tends to make many tactical changes and sometimes that could include changing fields every ball of an over, which as it is takes time out of the game. Stokes said that the over-rate rule hampers the game as it suits a certain style of play especially when in Asia. 

Also Read: ‘Still To This Day No Response From ICC’: Ben Stokes Hasn’t Signed An Over-Rate Sheet Since Ashes

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