IND vs ENG Test: Slow over rate under the lens - how play and time is lost

London: After the second day’s play in the third Test at Lord’s, Joe Root was tongue-tied when he was asked about the 15 overs of play lost in the day. “I don’t want to get into trouble by saying anything. But these are tough conditions. It’s 30 degrees here, feels like 45 degrees anywhere else in the world. That’s all I have for you,” Root had said. By the third day, around 35 overs of play had been lost due to poor over rates. The locals here say London was unusually hot last week, but slow over rates have become a trend in this series. On Wednesday, England were docked two World Test Championship points, besides the entire team being fined 10 per cent of match fees. The cricket has been exciting in this series, but there have simply been too many breaks. There have still been results because the two teams have been maintaining a healthy scoring rate. Former England captain Michael Atherton fumed on air and highlighted how the on-field umpires had lost control of the game. On Day Three, Rishabh Pant asked for a change of gloves and a drink two overs into the day. He probably felt the gloves weren’t right because of his injured left index finger. But the complementary drink was questionable and highlighted how both teams have taken things for granted. The Dukes ball has been under the scanner this summer. The players have spent a considerable amount of time arguing with umpires about the shape of the ball. It took at least 4–5 minutes to check the ball and the discussion. During India’s second innings at Edgbaston, England’s fielders took forever to bring the ball back in play when India were hitting boundaries. Zak Crawley’s antics in the last over on the third day of the Lord’s Test became a talking point. There was a drinks break at Lord’s, supposed to be a four-minute break, lasting eight minutes. Any injury scare took forever to be treated. In all cases, the umpires did nothing. Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, who is a broadcaster here, says docking points is just one part of the solution. England and Australia have previously been docked WTC points. Australia missed out on a spot in the WTC final in the first edition because of these docked points. “Umpires need to take control and there should be stop clocks introduced even for small breaks. If a player gets hurt on the field, there should be a stipulated amount of time in which he has to be back playing, or else he may leave the field,” Dasgupta told TOI. “India have been smart, deploying their support staff on the boundary while fielding. The ball goes back in play that much quicker. The spectators pay for 90 overs of cricket. You have to find a way to at least give them 85 overs,” he added. While most ex-cricketers have been concerned, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara claimed he preferred quality over quantity. “The cricket has been good. I’m in the camp where if the players take a little more time but produce quality cricket, that is fine by me. But I wouldn’t want to see players just wandering on the field,” Sangakkara said.