England fined, docked points in third Test against India

England fined and docked points in third Test against India after being found guilty of maintaining a slow over rate during the match at Lord’s. The ICC penalised the team with a 10 percent match fee fine and a two-point deduction in the World Test Championship standings.

The ICC confirmed that England were found to be two overs short of the required rate after considering time allowances.

As per Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions, teams lose one championship point for every over they fall short. As a result, England’s points total dropped from 24 to 22 out of a possible 36. Their percentage of points earned also fell from 66.67% to 61.11%.

The deduction pushed England from second to third place in the WTC standings, with Sri Lanka moving up to second.

In addition to the points penalty, the team was fined under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to player and support staff. This rule states a five percent fine per over short of the target, resulting in a 10 percent fine for England.

England captain Ben Stokes accepted the sanctions, meaning no formal hearing was needed.

The penalties were imposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. The charges were laid by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.

The Test match itself was a classic, with both teams scoring identical totals in their first innings. England then built a 192-run lead in the second innings, setting India a challenging target.

Despite a top-order collapse, India mounted a strong comeback led by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. However, England held their nerve in the final session of day five to secure a dramatic 22-run win and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.