England Penalized for Slow Over Rate in Test Against India

ICC Imposes Penalties on England Men's Cricket Team

The England Men's Cricket Test team has faced disciplinary action from the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to a slow over rate during their recent match against India at Lord's. As a result, the team received two demerit points for the World Test Championship (WTC) Cycle for 2025-27, along with a deduction of 10% from the players' match fees.

Following their exciting victory over India, England climbed to second place in the standings with two wins out of three matches. They were positioned just behind Australia, who recently achieved a clean sweep against the West Indies with a 3-0 series win, boasting a perfect PCT percentage of 100. However, the imposition of two WTC demerit points has now relegated England to third place.

Consequently, England's total points in the World Test Championship table dropped from 24 to 22 out of a possible 36, leading to a decrease in their points percentage from 66.67% to 61.11%.

Previously, Sri Lanka held the third position after securing a 1-0 victory against Bangladesh. With England's demotion, Sri Lanka has now ascended to second place, maintaining a PCT percentage of 66.67.

Match referee Richie Richardson issued the penalty after confirming that England fell short by two overs of the required target, despite considering all allowances within the scheduled time.

According to Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to slow over-rate violations, players incur a 5% deduction from their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl on time.

Furthermore, as stipulated in Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions, the team loses one WTC point for every over they fall short of the target. The ICC's statement noted,

"England captain Ben Stokes admitted guilt regarding the offense and accepted the proposed sanction, eliminating the need for a formal hearing."

Current WTC 2025-27 Points Table