Former Australian Test skipper Mark Taylor says more must be done to motivate teams to adhere to over rates because fines are not working.
England were left scrambling in the last hour on day one of the second Test to ensure they got the new ball under lights, with skipper Joe Root holding down an end just before they ticked over the 80 mark, and the new rock was given to James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Despite rushing through the final few overs of play, England still finished an over short of the minimum 90 — even with fines and the docking of championship points still fresh in their minds.
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“I’ve always been a great believer that the system we brought in years ago about fining the captain and eventually suspending the captain or other players is the only one that works,” Taylor told Wide World of Sports after day one at the Adelaide Oval.
“The only way to actually make a statement and to get people to care more is to say ‘you’ve got to get this right, or someone’s not going to play the next game, starting with the captain’.
“You look at a soccer match. If Ronaldo is issued a red card in a World Cup semi-final, he doesn’t play the final.
“If you gave him an option to pay $500,000 instead, he’d do it. The money, it just doesn’t work, especially now that there’s so much more money in sport.”
The decision not to have a recognised spinner in the team hurt England’s chances of getting through their full allotment of overs, but Taylor said their problems run deeper.
“The pace of play is too slow, and obviously having five seam bowlers who’ve got long run ups, and field in the deep, doesn’t help,” he said.
“But I think the problem is greater than that. And you find in most sports that people who play the sport at a good pace — and I’m not suggesting that you need to rush — people stay concentrated a lot more.
“If you play too slowly, people do drop off, they have their little naps because it’s not flowing, and I think that’s a problem that England do have.”
Nobody will know how Jos Buttler dropped those two glorious chances to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne — especially after an amazing catch early on to dismiss Marcus Harris — but being less than enamoured with the speed of the game could explain it.
Taylor said there was an element of cruelty to having Harris, who is struggling to keep his place in the team, be dismissed by an absolute screamer, when you contrast that with the fortunates of the red-hot Labuschagne.
“To be caught down the leg side like that, it’s just one of those things again. It’s amazing how it goes that way — when you need a break, Jos Buttler takes a terrific catch.
“On another day, that runs away for four and then you’ve got Marnus, who seemingly can’t get out at the moment.”
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