Australia v England scores, results, start time, wickets, teams, how to watch
Australia have been under fire for their agonizing rate of slowdowns at the Gabba, including three replay periods lasting 18 minutes in the final session of day one of the Brisbane Test due to changing pitches, donning and doffing of helmets and conferences with bowlers.
The home team managed to bowl just 74 overs on the first day, finishing well short of the mandatory 90 overs, despite play being extended by an extra half-hour in the evening session.
Stargazing: Mitchell Starc took six wickets on the first day at the Gabba but when the home team fielded five fast bowlers, their overs were appalling.Credit: Getty Images
Over-odds penalties do not kick in until over 80 overs, so Australia will avoid the penalty if they quickly take England’s final wicket on day two.
However, former Australian swing bowler Damien Fleming has described the ICC penalties, which could include hefty fines and loss of world Test championship points, as pointless after farcical scenes in the 10th wicket partnership between Joe Root and Jofra Archer on Thursday night. The slow pace raised questions about whether fans were being short-changed.
A typical over in Test cricket should last around four minutes, with an expectation of 15 overs in an hour.
