England Test captain Ben Stokes has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction after his team was penalized three points in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings for a slow over rate during their recent Test victory against New Zealand in Christchurch. England delivered a dominant performance in the match, securing an eight-wicket win, largely due to Brydon Carse’s outstanding 10-wicket haul and Harry Brook’s impressive first-innings century.
Ben Stokes criticizes WTC points deduction after Christchurch Test
However, both England and New Zealand were found to have fallen three overs short of the required rate, even after time allowances were factored in. As a result, each team faced a deduction of three WTC points. The ICC issued a statement confirming the penalties, stating:
“New Zealand and England were both found to have three overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration, with sides penalised one point for each over they were found to be short. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, third umpire Adrian Holdstock and fourth official Kim Cotton levelled the charges, with David Boon of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposing the sanctions,”
Both Stokes and his New Zealand counterpart Tom Latham admitted to the charges and accepted the sanctions without contesting them, thereby avoiding formal hearings. Nonetheless, Stokes took to Instagram to share his discontent with the ruling, posting a sarcastic message that read: “Good on you ICC,” accompanied by three shrug emojis. He further added, “[We] finished the game with 10 hours of play still left,” highlighting that the Test concluded during the afternoon session of the fourth day.
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England’s repeated over-rate sanctions
This latest incident adds to England’s ongoing issues with maintaining over rates during the current WTC cycle. While this is New Zealand’s first penalty of the cycle, England has faced similar sanctions on multiple occasions. During the 2023 Ashes series against Australia, England was docked a staggering 19 points for over-rate violations, the most significant penalty in the competition’s history.
The cumulative impact of these penalties has been substantial. If England had avoided any over-rate deductions during this cycle, they still wouldn’t have qualified for the WTC final at Lord’s next summer, but they would have been in contention for much of 2024. As things stand, England are currently sixth in the WTC standings with a win percentage of 42.50, having accumulated 102 points from 20 matches.
Slow over rate despite early finish
The Christchurch Test exemplified England’s pace and dominance as they chased down a target of 104 runs in just 13 overs to claim a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Despite this swift conclusion, the ICC’s decision to penalize both teams underscores its commitment to enforcing over-rate regulations, regardless of match outcomes or duration.
England’s penalty comes on the heels of their elimination from the WTC final race following a 1-2 series loss to Pakistan. The team has now been docked a total of 22 points in this WTC cycle, far more than any other side. Of these, the bulk of the deductions (19 points) came from over-rate infractions during the Ashes series.
Looking ahead, England will aim to maintain their series lead against New Zealand in the second Test, which begins on Friday, December 6, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. In addition to continuing their winning momentum, the team will need to address their recurring over-rate issues to prevent further penalties that could further impact their WTC campaign.
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