Aussie cricket great Mark Waugh has called for a penalty for batting teams as Australia got its first taste of the stop clock in International ODIs on home soil.
Cricket’s governing body the International Cricket Council brought in a clock to ensure players hustle through overs to stop cricket matches getting even longer – but it’s almost exclusively targeted at bowling teams.
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Announced back in November after the ODI World Cup, other than a T20 series in India, Australia has only played Tests – meaning the first ODI between Australia and the West Indies was the first taste of the clock on home soil.
The clock is currently in its trial period which began in December last year and will run until April.
The rule dictates that bowling teams have 60 seconds between the last ball of the previous over to be ready to play.
If they breach the rule three times in an innings, a five-run penalty will be handed to the batting team.
The bowling team also needs to complete its 50 overs in three-and-a-half hours (210 minutes), or will have to play remaining overs outside the time with an extra player in the inner circle.
Teams are usually allowed five fielders outside the circle for the final 10 overs.
But on Friday night, it was the West Indies batters – not the Aussie fielders – holding up play.
At the end of the 24th over, Australia was ready to bowl but the batsmen took their time.
“Here you are, you’ve got the batsmen holding up the game now,” Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket’s coverage.
It took longer than a minute between the over despite Australian players being ready to play, as the batter got new gloves and a drink.
At the end of the 27th over, more support staff ran out yet again and Waugh had had enough.
“(I’m) definitely bringing in a fine for the batting team,” he said.
“Roston Chase, he’s got the sub out there again. Not sure if he’s got a headache or needs to change his gloves again or whatever. The umpire’s just wandered over, Xavier Bartlett’s ready to bowl, no batsman ready to go.
“I saw the umpire have a word to Roston Chase but at the end of the day he’s fiddling around like an old chook again.”
Even after he was finished his rant, Chase was still getting his gloves on.
“Give him a seat to sit in,” Waugh added.
At the end of the 28th over, the 12th man was back.
“This is a joke, this is the third time they’ve been out in three overs,” Waugh said.
The third time appeared to be to change Chase’s bat, but Hussey said that the umpire had sent them straight off as the support staff also brought water.
“The sooner we can bring in the penalty to the batsmen, the better,” Waugh said. “Not just the fielding team.”
The Flashscore Cricket Commentators X account responded and said: “If the batting side is found to be wasting time under this shot clock trial, the match referee can deduct time from their allotted time when it’s their turn to field. Obviously doesn’t work if they’re batting second but that’s how they deal with it.”
The rules also have allowances in case of injury or medical treatment, time taken for referrals or reviews, take taken by time wasting by the batters, and any other circumstances outside the fielding team’s control.
But Waugh added that if the fielding team was found to be too slow, the penalty should be harsher than simply having another player inside the circle.
“I actually like the fielder being sent off and the batting team gets to pick which fielder too,” Waugh said.
“Take the best one — there you go. I think that’s a good rule that.”
Asked who out of this new look Aussie team would be sent off, Waugh said “probably Sean Abbott”, although the Aussies might hit back that they need him to bowl the final over.
“It might be pushing it a bit far but definitely sending a man off (is a good idea),” Waugh argued.
Mike Hussey agreed and said in the Caribbean Premier League “it’s the fielding team that gets to choose. So they get to choose their worst fielder and probably not in a hot spot.”
The CPL has red cards for slow over rates and West Indian star Kieron Pollard blasted the penalties as “absolutely ridiculous” after his Trinbago Knight Riders were handed the penalty.
The team then has to have six players inside the circle, which means four are allowed out.
Australia were behind the overrate late in the West Indies innings but bowled them out in the 49th over for 231.
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