July 16, 2025: England cricket team’s gripping Test match against India at Lord’s ended not just in drama on the field—but with a costly penalty off it. The ICC has docked the England cricket team two World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined them 10% of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during the match.
After time allowances were taken into account, England were found to be two overs short of the required rate. Under Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions, teams lose one point per over short. The deduction drops England’s total from 24 to 22 points, lowering their percentage from 66.67% to 61.11%, and bumping them down from second to third place, with Sri Lanka moving up to second in the standings.
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England captain Ben Stokes accepted full responsibility for the infraction and agreed to the penalties imposed by ICC Elite Panel Match Referee Richie Richardson, which meant no formal hearing was needed.
The accompanying fine was levied under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which states that players are docked 5% of their match fee per over short of the required rate.
The charges were initiated by on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.
The Test itself was a nail-biter, stretching into the final session of Day 5. Both sides scored identical runs in the first innings, keeping the contest in delicate balance. England eventually carved out a 192-run lead, setting up a challenging final innings chase for India.
While the on-field battle was fierce, it’s the off-field penalty that has now taken center stage—potentially impacting England’s road to the WTC Final.