England Lose 12 World Test Championship Points for Slow Over-Rate

England have been handed a major penalty for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. The team has been docked 12 points in the World Test Championship (WTC) and fined 50 percent of their match fee.

The ICC stated that, after taking time allowances into account, England were found to be 12 overs short of the required target. Under the WTC playing conditions, a team loses one championship point for every over it falls short. As a result, England have lost 12 points. Since a Test victory is worth 12 WTC points, the punishment has effectively wiped out the points they earned from their win in the first Test against New Zealand.

According to the ICC Code of Conduct, players are fined 5 percent of their match fee for every over short of the target. However, the maximum penalty is capped at 50 percent, meaning England have received the highest possible financial sanction.

The charges were laid by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker, and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd. England captain Joe Root, who was standing in for the absent Ben Stokes following the Rex Rooms incident, accepted the offence. As a result, no formal hearing was required before match referee Andy Pycroft.

England suffered a 253-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval, leaving the three-match series level at 1-1. The decisive third Test is scheduled to begin on June 25 at Trent Bridge.

The penalty has further weakened England’s position in the current World Test Championship cycle. With 38 points from 12 Tests, they are now seventh among the nine competing teams, with a points percentage of 26.39.

This is the second time England have been penalised for a slow over-rate during the current WTC cycle. They were previously docked two points for the same offence during their victory over India at Lord’s in 2025. In the previous WTC cycle (2023–25), England lost a total of 22 points due to slow over-rate violations, significantly affecting their campaign.