Mark Waugh slams 'ridiculous' Pakistan act as concerning Test trend emerges
The cricket great says the slow over rates and extended injury breaks are hurting the appeal of Test cricket.
Australian cricket great Mark Waugh has let rip at Pakistan for calling for a physio after Mohammad Rizwan was struck on the back by a short ball from Pat Cummins. Rizwan hobbled off the pitch before being brought to his knees as he was attended to.
The Pakistan batsman received treatment but Waugh believed the break that ensued was unnecessary and said the extended delays in the long form of the game is killing the spectacle of Test cricket. "That's just part of batting, isn’t it?" a furious Waugh proclaimed after Rizwan was struck by a bouncer.
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"What's the physio going to do, he’s been hit on the back? He’s just got to say ‘No, off’. You can’t stop the game for a ball hitting a player on the back, surely.
"We talk about over rates and value for money and entertainment ... it’s ridiculous." "12 overs were lost yesterday, and that gets put to one side and nobody bats an eyelid,” co-commentator Michael Vaughan replied.
Ian Smith also chipped in on the incident, saying overs on day three had already been lost due to rain at the start of play and saw the delay as unnecessary. The New Zealand cricketer echoed that the 20,000-strong crowd that arrived at the MCG wanting to be entertained deserved better.
Rizwan was eventually dismissed by Cummins for 42. Pakistan's notoriously brittle tail, however, showed far more resistance than anticipated, pushing their overnight score from 6-194 to all out for 264 in reply to Australia's 318.
Australia under fire for slow over-rate
Australia came under the microscope for its slow over rate on Wednesday, an issue that has repeatedly plagued the side and has resulted in them being docked numerous points in the World Test Championship. In the corresponding Test against India three years ago, the Aussies were penalised for not getting through their allotted overs, an error that ultimately cost them a spot in the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Cummins' side has already lost 10 points in the current WTC standings for their slow over-rate during this season's Ashes and the Australian cricket captain says he is on top of it. "You keep an eye on it," Cummins said.
"I think we got about three or four minutes back, we were 13 minutes down at one stage, I think we're nine or 10 now. Keep half an eye on it, and if it starts getting tight start trying to make sure you can rein it in, always try and not waste too much time, if we can."
Pakistan guilty of slow over rate in first Test against Australia
Pakistan were also scrutinised for their slow over-rate in the Test series opener against Australia in Perth and were docked two points on the WTC standings for it. They were ruled to be two overs short of the acceptable amount of overs after time allowances were taken into consideration.
After Pakistan were thumped by 360 runs, they slipped to No. 2 on the WTC standings and their points percentage also took a hit after the penalty, falling to 61.11 from 66.67. They were also fined 10 per cent of their match fee, with the sanctions being imposed by the match referee.
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