England were fined for having slow over-rates in the third Test of the current series against India at Lord's. The penalty by the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not go down well with England captain Ben Stokes, whose team had also lost the points in the World Test Championship, which has ultimately impacted their ranking in a negative way on the table even after registering an outright victory against the Indians. Stokes is now pleading to guide ICC towards adopting a more rational method in imposing the charges for slow over-rates in a Test match. The talisman all-rounder has stated that the over-rates should be decided based on the continents a game is being contested in, and the method of balancing the penalties should be an ought change according to the place. Here is what he said as quoted by Yorkshire Post: “Over-rate isn’t something I worry about, but that’s not saying I purposely slow things down. I do understand the frustration around it, but I honestly think there needs to be a real hard look at how it’s structured,” “Common sense would think you should look at changing how the over-rates are timed in different continents. You can’t have the same rules in Asia where spin is bowling 70 per cent of the overs to have the same laws in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it’s going to be 70, 80 per cent of seam bowled,” he added. Also Read | BCCI Will Comply with New National Sports Governance Bill: Reports The New Zealand-born also believes that a captain can't always ensure the rate at which the overs are going in an hour because a game of cricket is far greater than the very spirit of time. Returning the ball to a spinner simply for quickening the over-rate would not always be a prudent move, as the conditions also play a determining role in selecting the appropriate kind of bowlers to help the team win a match. “There are times during games where there effectively isn’t a game on the line, where you will then just throw the ball to a spinner to get your overs round. You’re playing in an international game where you’re just trying to get your over-rate back. I don’t think people want to come and watch that,” Stokes concluded on the row. The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 will commence on July 23 at the Old Trafford, and The Three Lions have already announced their playing combination for the match. The hosts had to make a solitary change, and left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson replaced injured Shoaib Bashir. England’s Line-up for the 4th Test Against India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer