ICC punishes England with 12-point WTC penalty after loss to New Zealand

England’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final suffered a major setback after the International Cricket Council (ICC) docked the side 12 points for a slow overhaul during their 253-run defeat of New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval.

The ICC upheld the penalty shortly after England’s loss on Sunday, ruling that the hosts were 12 overs short of the required target after taking time-outs into account. The players were also fined 50 percent of their match fees.

The penalty leaves England on 38 points in the WTC 2025-27 standings. Although they remain seventh in the table, their point percentage dropped from 34.72 to 26.38.

England v New Zealand 2nd Test Day 5: HIGHLIGHTS

New Zealand’s emphatic victory leveled the three-match series at 1-1 and strengthened the visitors’ position in the early stages of the WTC cycle.

The sanction was imposed by ICC Elite Panel Match Referee Andy Pycroft under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with minimum rate overruns.

“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rates, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for their team’s failure to play the ball within the stipulated time, with a maximum penalty capped at 50 per cent of the match fee,” the ICC said in a statement.

The governing body added that under Article 16.11.2 of the World Test Championship playing conditions, teams are penalized one point for each time the limit is exceeded.

“As a result, 12 World Test Championship points have been deducted from England’s points total,” the ICC said.

Stand-in captain Joe Root pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the proposed sanction, removing the need for a formal hearing.

The charges were leveled by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.

The penalty compounded a disappointing outing for England, who were completely outplayed by New Zealand after taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The visitors produced a dominant all-round show to secure a 253-run victory and force a decider.

However, England will be boosted by the return of regular captain Ben Stokes for the final Test. Stokes missed the second match after being left out of the squad after violating curfew after the opening Test at Lord’s.

Fast bowler Gus Atkinson was also recalled for the series decider. The pair were sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an investigation into the nightclub incident during which Atkinson was allegedly involved in a near altercation with a rugby academy player.

Despite the defeat, the second Test was memorable for Root, who became only the second batsman in Test history to surpass the 14,000-run mark. The former England captain is now second on the all-time list behind Sachin Tendulkar and remains within striking distance of the Indian great’s several records.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

June 22, 2026 11:35 AM IST