England and New Zealand docked WTC points after maintaining slow over-rate in 1st Test in ChristchurchÂ
England and New Zealand have been fined 15 percent and docked three points each from the World Test Championship (WTC) table after being guilty of maintaining a slow over-rate in the first Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Ben Stokes-led side registered a thumping eight-wicket win to claim a 1-0 lead in the three-match affair.
The verdict by the match referees does not affect England as such given that they were mathematically out of contention to make it to the final after the series loss in Pakistan.
However, it comes as a huge blow to New Zealand, who were already suffering after the loss to kickstart their home season. The Blackcaps roared back into contention for the WTC final after bouncing back from the whitewash in Sri Lanka, to achieve a historic 3-0 result in India.
"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. Both captains - Tom Latham of New Zealand and Ben Stokes of England - pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing," ICC statement read.
"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," the statement continued.
The loss coupled with the points deduction means that New Zealand slipped to fifth place in the standings, after being on level with fourth-placed Sri Lanka ahead of the first Test. Their winning percentage now drops to 47.92 from 50. This complicates the team's path to the final, with India, Australia, and South Africa being the key contenders.
Even if New Zealand complete a turnaround to beat England in the latter half of the series, they will complete their WTC cycle with a winning percentage of 55.36, which might not be enough for a top-two place.
2nd Test between England and New Zealand scheduled to begin from November 6 onwards
New Zealand's inconsistent WTC campaign is headed into the final phase, with two more matches against England left in the schedule. The second Test of the series will kickstart from December 6 onwards at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
It was at this venue where New Zealand recorded a historic one-run win over England in the second Test of the 2023 series.