London, July 13: The slow pace of play has emerged as a major talking point during the ongoing Test series between England and India, with frequent delays and sluggish over-rates drawing criticism from fans, players, and experts alike.
The issue reached new levels of concern on Day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s, where only 72.3 overs were bowled—15 short of the scheduled 90—despite no rain or bad light interruptions.
While slow over-rates have long been part of Test cricket’s fabric, the current series has reignited debate about how to address the problem. On Thursday, the second day of the Lord’s Test, stoppages caused by multiple ball changes, extended drinks breaks, glove changes, and minor injury treatments contributed significantly to the delays. With 39 overs lost in the first Test and 19 in the second, the trend is showing no signs of improvement.
Under ICC playing conditions, each day of a five-day Test match is expected to include 90 overs, completed within six hours, plus an optional 30-minute extension to make up for delays. However, any overs not bowled within that time are simply lost from the match unless interrupted by weather—there is no allowance for making up lost overs due to slow play.The ICC has implemented some penalties, including fines, points deductions in the World Test Championship (WTC), and even a newly introduced 60-second stop clock between overs. Yet, these measures have had little impact. While teams have been warned, there have been no significant in-game consequences such as penalty runs—despite these being technically allowed.
England captain Ben Stokes has argued that teams relying more heavily on pace bowlers, such as in the UK, are disadvantaged due to naturally slower over-rates. England have already been docked 22 WTC points in the current cycle.England batter Joe Root and India pacer Jasprit Bumrah both acknowledged the issue following Day 2. Root suggested limiting teams to three ball changes per innings to curb time-wasting. (AP)
