LONDON: England have been handed a significant blow in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings after being docked 12 points and fined 50% of their match fee for a slow over-rate offence in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval.
The penalty comes after England were found to be 12 overs short of the required target, even after accounting for time allowances.
Under WTC regulations, teams are penalised one point for every over they fall behind, resulting in a full 12-point deduction.
Since a Test victory is also worth 12 WTC points, the sanction effectively wipes out the points England earned from their win in the opening Test at Lord’s, significantly impacting their campaign standings.
In addition to the points deduction, the ICC imposed a financial penalty, with players fined 5% of their match fee per over short. The punishment reached the maximum cap of 50%, reflecting the extent of the breach.
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The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, along with third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.
England captain Joe Root, leading the side in the absence of Ben Stokes following the Rex Rooms incident, admitted the offence, meaning no formal hearing was required with match referee Andy Pycroft.
The second Test itself ended in a heavy defeat for England, who lost by 253 runs, leaving the three-match series evenly poised at 1-1 ahead of the decider at Trent Bridge starting June 25.
The disciplinary setback further dents England’s WTC campaign. They currently sit seventh in the nine-team standings with 38 points from 12 Tests, translating to a percentage score of 26.39.
This is not the first time England have been penalised for slow over rates in the current cycle.
They previously lost two points for a similar offence during a win over India at Lord’s in 2025, while in the previous WTC cycle (2023–2025), they were docked 22 points overall for repeated breaches, finishing fifth in the table.
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