“Focus on Winning”: Shastri Reacts to ICC Action on England Post Lord’s Win
England lose 2 WTC points for slow over rate at Lord’s, slip to third; Shastri says focus should remain on winning
England have been docked two points in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings for maintaining a slow over rate during the third Test at Lord’s. The ICC also fined the team 10 percent of their match fee.
As a result, England’s points total dropped from 24 to 22, bringing their points percentage down from 66.67% to 61.11%. This pushed them from second to third place in the WTC standings. Sri Lanka have now moved up to second, just behind leaders Australia.
Shastri: “Focus on Winning”
Former India coach Ravi Shastri weighed in on the situation, saying England shouldn’t worry too much about the penalty.
“Australia failed to reach the final in the first cycle of the World Test Championship. Their slow overrate against India cost them second place, with New Zealand making it to the final. England will have to be careful. They will have games where they can make up for it,” he said.
Shastri also reminded teams that winning is the most important part of the WTC format.
“You have to think about winning instead of the over rate. If you focus on winning, you can try to get those two points in the last six months of the ongoing WTC cycle. But you have to win, and that’s the most important thing. If you keep winning, nothing else matters,” he added.
England now face the task of making up for the lost points in their upcoming matches, with the WTC final race heating up.
