Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes England can recover from their two-point deduction in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings if they stay focused on winning matches.

England were penalised for maintaining a slow over rate during their thrilling win at Lord’s. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday that England lost two WTC points and were fined 10% of their match fees. The deduction dropped their points tally from 24 to 22 out of 36, reducing their percentage from 66.67% to 61.11%.

The drop has pushed England from second to third place in the WTC table, with Sri Lanka climbing to second, just behind table-toppers Australia.

Reflecting on the penalty, Shastri cited a similar incident from the 2019–21 WTC cycle when Australia lost four points for a slow over rate during the 2020 Boxing Day Test against India. That penalty ultimately cost Australia a place in the WTC final.

“It hurts, as Australia found out in the first cycle. You’ve got to be fully aware of this. But there will be other games where England can make up for it,” Shastri said in a video posted on ICC’s Instagram page.

Shastri stressed that winning games should be England’s primary goal, especially with the 2025–27 WTC cycle still in its early stages. England’s next opportunity to earn back points comes in the fourth Test against India in Manchester starting July 23.

“Focus on winning. If you keep winning, that [point deduction] won’t matter,” he said. “Come the last six months, you can try and make up for it, but victories are what count most.”