Australian spin legend and commentator Shane Warne has slammed the “ridiculous” slow over-rate in the ongoing three-match One Day International (ODI) series between Australia and India.
He was particularly critical of India’s ridiculous sloppy over-rate in the ongoing ODI series, as the Indian cricket team took a whopping four hours and six minutes to bowl their 50 overs in the first ODI against Australia and for which they were fined 20 percent of their match fee.
Well, Virat Kohli and his team didn’t improve in the second ODI as, as the Men in Blue yet again took nearly four hours to complete their quota of 50 overs in Sydney.
Notably, the teams are only allowed three and a half hours to complete their 50 overs and Warne has stressed that the ODI games should be finished on time since the two games of the ongoing series have seen many left the stadium too early.
The legendary cricketer frustrated with the slow pace of play and called for a strict penalty for teams with slow over rates, suggesting a penalty of 25 runs per over to solve the issue, since the slow over rates became an increasing issue across all three formats of the game in the recent times.
Warne told Fox Cricket: “I think we’ve got to be really strict with it. There’s just too much meandering around. I think (penalize teams) 25 runs per over you’re down (on the allocated time).”
He added: “For instance with India bowling first today if by the allotted time they only bowled 46 overs, that’s how many overs they get to bat. So whatever the target is, you take off those overs.”
The Aussie also lashed out at Team India for ‘fluffing around’ between the overs despite the fact that the batsman was ‘just about ready’ during the ongoing ODI series.
Warner signed off by saying, “I don’t think it’s so much bowling the overs, it is more or less in between overs fluffing around. The batsmen is just about ready … why isn’t the bowler back to the top of his mark waiting? The batsmen is ready. They’re just fluffing around. The real issue is in-between overs, not getting back to your mark quick enough … That shouldn’t be happening.”
