England fined & docked two points for slow over-rate

England Test captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the charge

England have been fined and docked two World Test Championship points for their slow over-rate in the Test victory against India at Lord's.

Ben Stokes' side beat India by 22 runs during the third Test on Monday to take a 2-1 series lead.

However, England's slow over-rate infuriated their opponents.

In a five-day Test, 90 overs are scheduled for each day and teams can be punished for failing to bowl 15 overs in an hour.

On day two of the Test when India closed 145-3, 72.3 overs were bowled - resulting in 15 overs being lost altogether from the match due to slow play.

Match referee Richie Richardson ruled that England, even with time allowances taken into account, were two overs short of the target.

Captain Stokes accepted the verdict, with the England team being docked 10% of their match fee as a result.

The docked points mean England have dropped from second to third in the World Test Championship standings for the current cycle from 2025-27, with Sri Lanka moving into second.

"In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time," the ICC said in statement.

It is not the first time this year England have been punished for their slow over-rate.

England were docked 22 points during the 2023-25 cycle.

Stokes argued his team were at a disadvantage because of their use of pace bowlers - who require longer run-ups.

The fourth Test between England and India begins at Lord's on 23 July.

Analysis

Stephan Shemilt, BBC Sport's chief cricket reporter

The superb finish to the third Test masks the achingly slow play of the first three days, when there were times the game ground to a halt. Both teams were guilty.

There is a question of whether or not it matters, given the Test ended in a positive result anyway. England have regularly found themselves in trouble because of over-rates, but Ben Stokes would say they are barely ever involved in drawn matches. If the pace of play is not affecting the outcome, what is the issue?

Spectators who have paid hard-earned cash for expensive tickets and broadcasters who have paid for live action, rather than players getting treatment or trying to get the ball changed, would disagree.

Stoppages introduced to Test cricket do make bowling 90 overs in a day harder. DRS (decision review system) and concussion examinations are among them. Stokes also argues it is harder if you rely more on pace bowling, which England did at Lord's.

Very rough calculations using the scorecard show England did bowl their overs slower than India, to the tune of about half an over per hour, across the Test. Still, both were off the 15-per-hour target.

What is not explained is how the officials decide the time allowances given to each team for injuries. Some more transparency over how these punishments are dished out to would avoid accusations of injustice or favouritism.

What are the rules?

Ninety overs are scheduled for each day in a five-day Test match.

To prevent teams tactically wasting time to ensure a draw, all of the overs must be bowled on the fifth day barring interruptions for the weather but, on the previous days, the overs must be fitted into the six hours of play, with an extra half-hour made available at the end of the day.

While time can be made up for overs lost to the weather, there is no such provision when the reason is simply slow play. If overs are not bowled in that time they are lost from the match.

There are some penalties already in place in the International Cricket Council's playing conditions but they have a limited impact.

An umpire can, after an initial warning, award five penalty runs to an opposition if one team is deemed to be wasting time. This rule has never been enforced in Test cricket.