England’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final suffered a significant setback after the International Cricket Council (ICC) docked the side 12 points for a slow over-rate during their 253-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval.
The ICC confirmed the sanction shortly after England’s loss on Sunday, ruling that the hosts were 12 overs short of the required target after time allowances had been taken into account. The players have also been fined 50 per cent of their match fees.
The penalty leaves England on 38 points in the WTC 2025-27 standings. While they remain seventh in the table, their points percentage has dropped from 34.72 to 26.38.
England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test Day 5: HIGHLIGHTS
New Zealand’s emphatic victory levelled the three-match series at 1-1 and boosted the visitors’ position in the early stages of the WTC cycle.
The sanction was imposed by ICC Elite Panel match referee Andy Pycroft under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with minimum over-rate offences.
“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allotted time, with the maximum penalty capped at 50 per cent of the match fee,” the ICC said in a statement.
The governing body added that under Article 16.11.2 of the World Test Championship playing conditions, teams are penalised one point for every over short.
“Consequently, 12 World Test Championship points have been deducted from England’s points total,” the ICC said.
Stand-in captain Joe Root pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, removing the need for a formal hearing.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.
The punishment compounded a disappointing outing for England, who were thoroughly outplayed by New Zealand after taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The visitors produced a dominant all-round display to secure a 253-run victory and force a decider.
England will, however, be boosted by the return of regular captain Ben Stokes for the final Test. Stokes missed the second match after being left out of the squad following a breach of team curfew after the opening Test at Lord’s.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson has also been recalled for the series decider. The duo were cleared by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an investigation into the nightclub incident, during which Atkinson was reportedly almost involved in an altercation with a rugby academy player.
Despite the defeat, the second Test was memorable for Root, who became only the second batter in Test history to cross the 14,000-run mark. The former England captain now sits second on the all-time list behind Sachin Tendulkar and remains within striking distance of several of the Indian great’s records.
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