Vaughan Voices Displeasure Over Alleged Favoritism Towards India

LONDON: Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has voiced his discontent regarding the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) choice to penalize solely England for a sluggish over rate during the third Test match against India at Lord’s.

Vaughan took to X, a social media platform, to communicate his annoyance at what he views as partiality toward India in the ICC’s judgments, despite both teams maintaining poor over rates.

“To be frank, the over rates from both teams at Lord’s were considerably poor. I cannot comprehend why only one team has faced consequences,” Vaughan expressed.

The ICC revealed on Wednesday that England would face penalties for sustaining a slow over rate in their thrilling third Test triumph against India.

As a result, England had two points deducted from their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) total, and they were also fined 10% of their match earnings.

According to the ICC, England did not meet the required rate by two overs, even after considering time allowances. As per Article 16.11.2 of the WTC’s playing conditions, teams forfeit one WTC point for each over they are short.

Subsequently, England’s WTC points were reduced from 24 to 22 out of a potential 36, which lowered their percentage from 66.67% to 61.11%. This caused them to drop from second to third place in the WTC standings, enabling Sri Lanka to ascend to second.

In addition to the point deduction, the team led by Ben Stokes was penalized under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which mandates a fine of five percent of match fees for each over that a team is short. Stokes accepted the sanction, thus avoiding a formal hearing.

The penalties were determined by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, following reports from on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.

Notably, the match was a true Test of skill. Both teams recorded the same totals in the first innings, which kept the competition tightly contested. England’s performance in the second innings gave them a lead of 192 runs, setting a difficult target for India.

Despite an initial setback, India initiated a spirited comeback, headed by Ravindra Jadeja, which brought them close to a memorable victory.

However, England maintained composure in the final session on day five to claim a remarkable 22-run victory.

With this win, England currently leads the five-match series 2-1. The fourth Test is set to take place in Manchester starting July 23, while the final Test will be held at The Oval from July 31 to August 4.