Ben Stokes, England captain, took a cheeky jibe at the ICC after his team and New Zealand were both fined and docked World Test Championships (WTC 2025) points after the first Test in Christchurch.
Slow over-rates in the first Test at Hagley Oval cost both New Zealand and England three World Test Championship (WTC) points. Each player was also penalized 15% of their match fee.
England has now lost a total of 22 WTC points in the 2023-25 cycle due to slow overrates. This includes 19 points dropped in the 2023 Ashes series.
England is presently ranked sixth in the ongoing WTC cycle. They had previously placed fourth in the first two editions. This destroys their chances of competing in the final on home soil for the third time in a row.
New Zealand's penalty lowered them from fourth to fifth place in the World Team Championship standings. This further reduces their chances of reaching the final next year after losing the first Test.
New Zealand's current WTC points percentage is 47.92%. Even with victory in the final two matches, they can only achieve a maximum of 55.36%.
Both teams were three overs short of the acceptable rate after time allowances. Each over short results in a one-point penalty. The allegations were filed by Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, third umpire Adrian Holdstock, and fourth official Kim Cotton.
Both captains, Stokes and Latham, have accepted the allegations. David Boon, the match referee, imposed the sanctions.
England captain Ben Stokes expressed his bewilderment regarding over-rate penalties following their victory against New Zealand. He reacted on social media with three shrugging emojis and the comment: "Good on you ICC."
India and South Africa now hold the top two spots in the WTC rankings, followed by Australia and Sri Lanka. With 15 Tests remaining in the cycle, no team is guaranteed to finish in the top two.
New Zealand's eight-wicket loss to England, which was ascribed to poor fielding, had a huge impact on their chances of reaching a second World Cup final.
