While England's thrilling 22-run win over India at Lord's kept fans on the edge of their seats, the buzz off the field was just as intense — centred around slow over-rates and their implications.
Skipper Ben Stokes didn’t hold back when asked about the penalty England copped for falling behind on rates, calling for “common sense” and a rethinking of regulations that, in his view, unfairly impact seam-dominant attacks.
“Common Sense Needed” on Over-Rates, Says Stokes
England were docked World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined 10% of their match fees after maintaining a slow over-rate, an issue that has plagued the team in the past. Stokes accepted the charge but pointed out the need to tailor rules to different playing conditions.
“You can't have the same rules in Asia, where a spinner is bowling 70% of the overs, to have the same laws in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it's going to be 70-80% seam. Because the spinner's over takes less time than the seamer's over. So common sense would think that you should look at maybe changing how the overrates are timed in different continents,” he said.
Stokes acknowledged the mounting frustration among fans and players alike but maintained that over-rates aren’t his primary concern during a match.
“Overrate isn't something that I worry about, but that's not saying that 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.”
He also shed light on the physical and tactical challenges involved in maintaining tempo over a gruelling five-day Test, especially when relying heavily on fast bowlers.
“There's a lot that actually goes out on the field. You've got fast bowlers bending their back consistently. Throughout the course of a game, the time of overs is going to come down because you've just got tired bodies. We played five days, that was our 15th day of cricket.
"We obviously had an injury to Bash [Shoaib Bashir], a spinner, so we couldn't turn to our spinner as much as we would have liked to on day five. So we had to throw a seam at them for pretty much the whole day. That's obviously going to slow things down.”
Stokes also questioned whether higher scoring rates — and more frequent boundaries — might be a hidden factor in falling behind on overs.
“I wonder if scoring rates have got anything to do with that as well. The ball's getting hit to the boundary more often, so it's going to take a lot longer. I think there's just so much that influences how your over-rates can be affected, that it can't just be as simple as, 'this is the time, this is what you need to do'. Because you want to keep the quality of cricket as high as you possibly can.”
All Blacks Influence England’s Mentality
Another major talking point was the impact of former All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka, who has been working with the England squad to foster a stronger team culture. Stokes was effusive in his praise for Enoka’s role in shaping England’s collective mindset.
“He's come in, we've spent some time around the team. I think he's been able to put into words what we want to do a lot better than what me and Baz [Brendon McCullum] would ever be able to do.”
Drawing parallels between England’s evolving ethos and the All Blacks’ legacy of excellence, Stokes added: “We're very similar [to the All Blacks] in that way of our mindset towards what we want to be doing as a team. Culture, how we want to do, how our behaviours are, training, all that kind of stuff about being as good as you possibly can be. It's a lot better coming from someone who's done that and been very successful in team sports like Gilbert has.”
Dawson’s Return a Reward for Hard Work
With Shoaib Bashir ruled out through injury, Liam Dawson earned a surprise Test recall — his first since 2017. Stokes endorsed the decision, citing Dawson’s all-round value and fierce competitiveness.
“He's been performing really well for Hampshire for a while now. I think he's obviously getting recalled into the white ball team as well. He showed that he can just come back in and get to work straight away.” Stokes also credited McCullum’s dual role in England’s Test and limited-overs teams for facilitating the continuity in selection.
“I think a big bonus is having Baz coaching both teams. We've obviously got Brookie [Harry Brook] captain of the one-day team and been in this team as well.”Dawson’s personality and grit, Stokes said, often go under the radar.
Dawson’s personality and grit, Stokes said, often go under the radar. “I've known Dawson for a long time, I know the cricketer he is, but I think what does go under the radar is his competitiveness. Obviously, he's just a cricketer who gives you so much with the ball, but having someone like him down the order again, hopefully we're not relying on his runs, that number eight or nine... He's earned a call on all the hard work he's done back at Hampshire and around the world in different franchise leagues and everything like that.”
At 35, Dawson's return is also a powerful message to older players that form and fitness — not age — dictate opportunity. “If you get called back into a squad after a while, regardless of how old you are, you obviously want to showcase your skills that you've got, regardless of how old you are. Dawson coming back in, people might look to that, those who are sort of ageing a bit maybe, knowing that it's not the end of the road.”
