"I think umpires need to come down strongly on players": Nasser Hussain on slow over rate in Lord's Test

India Gazette

13-07-2025

London [UK], July 13 (ANI): Former England skipper Nasser Hussain criticised the slow over rate in the third Test between India and England at the Home of Cricket, Lord's, and highlighted the issue of time-wasting.
He believed umpires should be stricter to speed up the game while maintaining its quality and excitement.
Nasser Hussain said on air, as quoted by Sky Sports, 'They are supposed to bowl those overs by 6 p.m., but we are giving them an extra half an hour and they are still not getting through them. You can still have the pace and interesting cricket we are having, and still come down tough on time wasting. Some of the delays this week, and in general, are diabolical, and I think umpires need to come down strongly on players.'
Former England legend Stuart Broad, on the slow over rate, said umpires want strong relationships with the players, so there is no conversation about it.
'For the players, I don't think it is a conversation. For umpires, I don't think it is a conversation; they want strong relationships with the players. The ICC are not pushing the umpires to force it either - but it is a problem for broadcasters - seeing how slow the game is frustrates us, and it is a problem for the fans. The fans are missing out on overs,' Broad said.
'To put a specific moment on that: if I had bought a day-one ticket for Pound 150 and watched my favourite batter Joe Root bat all day and then missed out on that hundred moment, I am slightly annoyed by that. I wanted to clap him, give him appreciation. You want to see the action, and fans in the stadium are missing out on pretty cool moments,' he added.
Former Sri Lanka skipper and veteran batter Kumar Sangakkara also reflected on the slow rate and believed cricket has been highly entertaining due to the quality of competition. He prioritised quality over the number of overs played, criticising time-wasting.
'I stand firmly in the camp that the cricket has been more entertaining than it has ever been because I like best vs best contests. That is why people pay the money to come and watch. I don't watch Test cricket, thinking it has got to be 90 overs, or it is less of a product. Why do you need sub-standard bowlers to make up overs just because you are running out of time? I have one qualification in that it is ugly when people just meander around. That is a problem, but I am definitely quality over quantity,' Kumar Sangakkara said.
Over the course of three days, 32 overs have been lost due to various reasons. England bowling coach Tim Southee defended the slow-over rate and said, 'It's never ideal, I don't think, but it's obviously been hot, so there's probably been more drinks than usual. There have been a number of stoppages with the ball also, and DRS takes its time. But yeah, to lose that much, it's probably at the extreme level.' (ANI)