England’s hopes of reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final have suffered a major blow after they were fined 12 points by the International Cricket Council. The punishment came after the second Test against New Zealand, making it difficult for England to finish in the top two of the standings.
On Sunday, England lost to New Zealand by 253 runs at The Oval in London. Chasing a target of 463 runs, the host team was all out for 209 runs on the final day. New Zealand leveled the three-match series 1-1. The third and final Test begins at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday, June 25.
ICC fines England for slow over-rate in second Test against New Zealand
Match referee Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel imposed the penalty. After taking into account all time allowances, England were found to be 12 overs short of the required rate. The home team lost 12 World Test Championship points, and the players were fined 50 percent of their match fees.
“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 a maximum fine of 50 per cent of the match fee.”
“In addition, in accordance with Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship Playing Conditions, a side is penalized one point for each over bowled short. As a result, 12 World Test Championship points have been deducted from England’s total points.”
England’s stand-in captain Joe Root accepted the charge and the proposed punishment, meaning there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, TV umpires Rod Tucker and Graham Lloyd filed the charges.
Can England reach the WTC final even after 12-point penalty?
England remain seventh in the World Test Championship table with 38 points. However, the 12-point deduction has significantly hurt his campaign. Their points percentage has dropped from 34.72 to 26.38, leaving little margin for error in the race to make the finals.
New Zealand has benefited from England’s defeat and penalty. The visitors moved up to fourth in the standings with 40 points and a points percentage of 66.67. The path for England in the WTC final is very difficult.
England can still qualify for the final, but they will need strong results in their remaining Test matches. To remain in the race for a top-two finish, the team will need to avoid further over-rate penalties and register consecutive wins.
New Zealand level series before Trent Bridge decider
New Zealand dominated the second Test at the Oval and won by 253 runs to level the series 1-1. Chasing 463, England began the final day at 182/5, but were all out for 209 after losing their last five wickets for just 27 runs in 48 minutes.
Matt Henry performed brilliantly for New Zealand with career-best match figures of 11/109, including 6/29 in the second innings. During the match, Joe Root also became the second batsman in Test history to cross the 14,000-run mark.
England will now look to bounce back in the series decider at Trent Bridge starting on June 25. Regular captain Ben Stokes is expected to return after missing the second Test.While Gus Atkinson is also available again following the conclusion of the ECB investigation.
