England has been penalised with a deduction of two ICC World Test Championship points and fined 10 percent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during their recent Test match against India at Lord’s. The penalty came after time allowances were considered, dropping England’s points from 24 to 22 out of 36, resulting in their percentage falling from 66.67% to 61.11% and causing them to slip from second to third position in the championship standings.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The penalty was imposed under Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, which stipulates that teams lose one point for each over they fall short of the required rate. England captain Ben Stokes accepted responsibility for the violation and agreed to the sanctions proposed by Richie Richardson of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.The financial penalty was applied according to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which specifies that players must pay five percent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allocated time. Due to Stokes’ admission of guilt and acceptance of the penalty, no formal hearing was required.The charges were brought forward by the match officials, including on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd. Their observations led to the determination of England’s slow over-rate violation during the match.The penalty has affected England’s position in the World Test Championship standings, with Sri Lanka moving up to claim the second spot.The match itself was a closely contested affair that extended to the final session of Day 5. Both teams posted identical scores in their first innings, maintaining the balance of the game throughout. England managed to build a 192-run lead, setting up a challenging chase for India in the fourth innings.The chase began with India suffering an early collapse, seemingly putting the game out of their reach. However, the Indian lower order, led by Ravindra Jadeja, mounted a remarkable comeback that brought them close to victory. Despite this resistance, England maintained their composure and secured a 22-run victory.
