365Telugu.com online news,July,17th,2025:Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has taken a sharp dig at England captain Ben Stokes after the latter accepted the ICC’s punishment for a slow over rate during the third Test at Lord’s. England were docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined 10% of their match fees after Stokes pleaded guilty and waived the right to a hearing.
Reflecting on the incident, Shastri reminded that a similar mistake in the past had cost Australia a place in the inaugural WTC final against India. He emphasized that England should “feel the pain” of the penalty and learn from such errors to avoid future consequences. With the deduction, England slipped to third in the WTC standings, now trailing behind Sri Lanka and Australia.
Despite the criticism, Shastri also suggested a way forward for the English team. He stressed that consistent wins would neutralize the setback of points deduction. According to him, the priority should be on winning matches, and the over-rate can be managed more effectively later in the championship cycle.
The ICC confirmed that England were two overs short in their allotted time during their 22-run victory at Lord’s. Each player was fined 5% of their match fee per over, while the team lost one WTC point per over. Consequently, England’s WTC points dropped from 24 to 22, reducing their percentage from 66.67% to 61.11%—enough to allow Sri Lanka to move ahead in the standings.