England were accused of maintaining sluggish over-rates during the third Test of their ongoing series against India at Lord’s. The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) sanction did not sit well with England captain Ben Stokes, as his team was forced to miss out on points in the World Test Championship, resulting in a lower ranking on the table despite an outright victory over the Indians.
Ben Stokes is now proposing that the ICC take a more rational approach to imposing charges for sluggish over-rates during a Test match.
The star all-rounder has stated that over-rates should be established based on the region in which a match is played, and that the method of levelling penalties should vary depending on geography.
“Over-rate isn’t something I’m concerned about, but that doesn’t mean I intentionally slow things down. I understand the angst, but I honestly believe it needs to be restructured,” he told the Yorkshire Post.
“Common sense would suggest that you look at modifying how the over-rates are timed across continents. You can’t have the same regulations in Asia, where spin bowls 70% of the overs, as you do in New Zealand, Australia, and England, where seam bowls 70% to 80% of the overs,” he said.
Don’t think people watch cricket for over-rates
The New Zealand-born further feels that a captain cannot always prioritize the rate at which the overs are being bowled in an hour, since a game of cricket is much more than just the essence of time. Handing the ball to a spinner just to pace up the over-rate would not always be a wise decision, since the conditions are also a decisive factor in picking the right type of bowlers to win a match for the team.
“There are times during games where there effectively isn’t a game on the line, where you will then just throw the ball to a spinner to get your overs round. You’re playing in an international game where you’re just trying to get your over-rate back. I don’t think people want to come and watch that,” Stokes concluded on the row.
England bring Dawson in for Manchester Test
The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 is set to begin on July 23 at the Old Trafford, and The Three Lions have already named their playing combination for the encounter. The hosts were forced to make one change, as injured Shoaib Bashir had to make way for left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson.
England Playing XI for 4th Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
India
