Tardy rate raises risk of exclusion
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson is at risk of a suspension at the Cricket World Cup, after being fined for a slow over-rate in his side’s thrilling five-run win over the West Indies on Sunday.
Williamson was ruled to be one over short of the Black Caps’ required over-rate target, after time allowances were taken into consideration. The minimum over-rate is set by the umpires, with the Black Caps having to complete their allotted overs in a set amount of time allocated, with allowances given for injuries, television reviews and time wasting from the batting side.
Williamson pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined 20 per cent of his match fee.
However, most concerningly for New Zealand, Williamson is running the risk of being suspended. If the Black Caps commit another minor over-rate offence during the World Cup — in a game with Williamson at the helm — it will be deemed a second offence, and he will receive an immediate one-game suspension.
Such a breach is extremely rare for New Zealand, having been fined for over-rate offences only nine times since 1992. At the other end of the scale, Pakistan have been fined a remarkable 96 times for the same issue, while India have been pinged on 77 occasions.
Under Williamson’s reign, the Black Caps have been caught short just once — in the 2017 Champions Trophy match against England, when they were two overs short of their required rate.
Williamson’s immense importance to the team — averaging 186.5 at the Cup, with back-to-back centuries — coupled with the rarity of the breach, means it is unlikely such a scenario will occur again, though another incredibly tight clash could keep the over-rate firmly in the skipper’s mind.
Sunday’s clash was a lengthy game — the West Indies’ bowling innings finished nearly 30 minutes behind schedule as well — but the Black Caps’ time infringements likely came as a result of their intense discussions and planning at the death when bowling to Carlos Brathwaite.