West Indies docked WTC points and drop a place due to slow over-rate against England

Kraigg Brathwaite’s side were found to have been two overs short after reasonable adjustments and time allowances had been taken into consideration.

The result of the finding means that West Indies have been fined 40 per cent of their match fee by Richie Richardson of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, and have also been penalised two points in the ICC World Test Championship Standings.

The implications of the docked points mean that West Indies slip below Bangladesh in the World Test Championship Standings into eighth, and are one of three teams to have been docked points due to penalty overs.

This is West Indies’ first slow over-rate offence in the 2021-2023 Championship cycle, while India have been docked three points and ninth-placed England have been docked ten across ten matches to date.

The penalties are in line with the pre-agreed playing conditions for the World Test Championship, which state that a side will be penalised one WTC point and fined 20 percent of their match fees for every over they have failed to bowl in the allotted time.

Captain Brathwaite has acknowledged and accepted the ruling and sanctions.

The draw in Antigua saw England bat long in both innings, but West Indies frontline spinner Veerasammy Permaul sent down just 25 overs of his left-arm spin in the match, with the four-pronged seam attack bowling the bulk of the 188.5 overs.

Those lack of spin overs were a significant factor in the slow over-rate, and Brathwaite has pointed to it as an area for improvement going into the second Test in Barbados.

“There are some areas in terms of run rate we can improve and it’s simply just setting the field and bowling to it and being disciplined enough to bowl to that field,” Brathwaite said.

“I think we can do that better especially in the middle overs when a partnership may build. I think once we’re tighter, then we can build a little more pressure for us to get the wickets later in the innings.

“It’s finding ways to build pressure and as a spinner, under three runs an over is crucial, because obviously the ball didn’t spin much so I think the spinner really has to be tight.

“I thought it was a very good effort from the bowling group”

West Indies squad for second Test: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales

England Men's WTC Test Tour of the Caribbean

First Test: Match Drawn
**Second Test:**March 16-20 in Barbados
**Third Test:**March 24-28 in Grenada