England have been fined and docked points for maintaining a slow over-rate against India in the third Test at Lord’s.
England have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee and penalised two ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate.
England were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
As a result, England have dropped from second to third in the World Test Championship table, with Sri Lanka now overtaking them to claim the second spot.
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Watch highlights between England and India on the final day of the third Test from Lord’s
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Relive the final day of the third Test between England and India with our comms cam!
Players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.
England have handed spinner Liam Dawson a Test recall after an eight-year absence, with the 35-year-old replacing the injured Shoaib Bashir in the squad for the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Wednesday July 23, live on Sky Sports.
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Watch the funniest moments from the third Test at Lord’s between England and India
Why was the third Test so slow?
Camp one: Quality over quantity
Sky Sports Cricket’s Kumar Sangakkara believes that we cannot complain about the quality of cricket that is on show even if we are losing overs:
“I stand firmly in the camp that the cricket has been more entertaining than it has ever been because I like best vs best contests.
“That is why people pay the money to come and watch. I don’t watch Test cricket thinking it has got to be 90 overs or it is less of a product.
“Why do you need sub-standard bowlers to make up overs just because you are running out of time?
“I have one qualification in that it is ugly when people just meander around. That is a problem but I am definitely quality over quantity.”
Camp two: We need to come down strongly on timewasting
Over rates in Test cricket have dramatically reduced over time
Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain is adamant that the umpires have to be firmer and come down harder on players if they are wasting time:
“They are supposed to bowl those overs by 6pm but we are giving them an extra half hour and they are still not getting through them.
“You can still have the pace and interesting cricket we are having and still come down tough on time wasting.
“Some of the delays this week, and in general, are diabolical and I think umpires need to come down strongly on players.”
Camp three: Somewhere in the middle!
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Stuart Broad admits he would have been disappointed if he was a spectator to have missed out a potential Joe Root hundred on the opening day of the third Test due to the slow pace of play
Sky Sports Cricket’s Stuart Broad does not see slow play as an issue for the players or the umpires, but understands how it ruins the viewing for fans:
“For the players, I don’t think it is a conversation. For umpires, I don’t think it is a conversation, they want strong relationships with the players.
“The ICC are not pushing the umpires to force it either – but it is a problem for broadcasters – seeing how slow the game is frustrates us – and it is a problem for the fans. The fans are missing out on overs.
“To put a specific moment on that: if I had bought a day-one ticket for £150 and watched my favourite batter Joe Root bat all day and then miss out on that hundred moment I am slightly annoyed by that.
“I wanted to clap him, give him appreciation. You want to see the action and fans in the stadium are missing out on pretty cool moments.”
England vs India – results and schedule
England lead five-match series 2-1 (all games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports)
Watch the fourth Test between England and India at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event on Wednesday, 23 July, with coverage from 10am ahead of the first ball at 11am, or stream without a contract.
