England penalised, India spared - but why?

'Both teams' over rates at Lord's were very, very poor. How only one team has been reprimanded is beyond me'

Ravindra Jadeja

IMAGE: England has slipped from second to third position in the table. Photograph: England Cricket/X

Former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for penalising only England for slow over rates during the third Test against India at the Home of Cricket, Lord's.

After securing a dramatic win over India, England were docked two ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points for maintaining a slow over rate during the match.

Taking to X, Vaughan wrote, "Let's be honest, both teams' over rates at Lord's were very, very poor. How only one team has been reprimanded is beyond me."

The penalty was imposed under Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, which states that a side is penalised one point for each over short after time allowances are taken into account.

Following the deduction, England’s points tally in the WTC standings dropped from 24 to 22 out of a possible 36, reducing their points percentage (PCT) from 66.67% to 61.11%. As a result, England slipped from second to third place, with Sri Lanka overtaking them in the standings.

In addition to the points deduction, England were fined 10 percent of their match fee under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences. Teams are fined five percent of their match fee for every over short.

England captain Ben Stokes accepted the sanction and pleaded guilty to the offence, which was imposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. As Stokes accepted the proposed penalty, no formal hearing was required.

The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.

The third Test at Lord’s was a gripping contest that went down to the final session on Day 5. Both teams posted identical first-innings scores, keeping the game evenly poised. England then set India a target of 192 after a strong second-innings effort.

Although India suffered a top-order collapse, a valiant lower-order fightback led by Ravindra Jadeja brought them within striking distance. However, England held their nerve and eventually clinched a thrilling 22-run victory.