ICC punishment causes Harakiri in England camp; swift action taken
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England had won the Third Test against India at Lord's with an extraordinary bowling masterclass in the final innings, as they defended the modest target of 193. Despite winning the match, England slipped to the third position on the WTC points table.
England have won two matches and are likely to feature in the number two spot with 24 points; however, their PCT has been lower than Sri Lanka's, as England was docked two points by the ICC for maintaining a slow over rate at Lord's.
England advanced to Manchester with a lead in the series, as they look to seal their win in the series with a convincing show at Manchester, and India faces a big blow for the exclusion of injured Rishabh Pant.
Harry Brook leads as the English slip cordon rushes to change ends between overs
After being docked points in the third test, England seems to be attentive not to repeat the same mistake, as Harry Brook has been seen rushing through the middle of the pitch to change sides between the overs.
Alongside Harry Brook, several other Indian fielders, like the wicket-keeper Jamie Smith, Joe Root, and opener Zak Crawley, have all been spotted making swift movements to save time for bowlers who would naturally take some time, as most of the overs have been bowled by the English pacers.
Watch Harry Brook's field awareness as he sprints to change ends:
"DON'T BE LAST!" 💨
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2025
Harry Brook racing to his mark in the slips in between overs 😅 pic.twitter.com/j9AG1HHKDF
Ben Stokes suggested ICC reform rules according to the playing conditions
England captain Ben Stokes, while talking to the press after England was docked two points for a slow over rate, clarified to the ICC the actual reason behind the delay in the innings.
He said that when playing in conditions like the Asian subcontinent, where the majority of the overs, nearly 70%, are bowled by spinners, it is relatively easy to maintain the over-rate. However, under SENA conditions, in countries like England, New Zealand, and more, the tracks are different and need many overs from the seamers.
Even in the Lord's Test final innings, England bowled all of their overs with spinners, with less than 10 overs bowled by spinners Shoaib Bashir or Joe Root.
Can England dominate a one-man-down Indian team at Manchester
India is in a must-win situation at Manchester, despite having never won a match at this venue. After a decent start to the innings, the Indian openers fell early in the second session. India's most dependable batter, Shubman Gill, has messed it up once again.
However, the real jolt to the Indian innings came when Rishabh Pant got a massive blow on his right foot in an attempt to reverse sweep Chris Woakes. The batter was immediately seen whimpering with pain as the physios rushed in.
Now Pant has been officially ruled out of the remainder of the match as well as the series against England. Hence, India is down to just 10 batters, and England will have the opportunity to dominate the Indian lower order since Pant won't be able to take the field any further in the match.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Ben Stokes Harry Brook Joe Root Jamie Smith India vs England England vs India
