ENG vs NZ: England handed WTC points penalty after crushing defeat to New Zealand at Oval

England’s woes have been deepened following their crushing defeat against New Zealand in the second Test, as they’ve been docked twelve points in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. England lost the second Test by a big margin of 253 runs, after failing to chase down the massive target of 463 at the Oval as New Zealand levelled the series 1-1.

To add to their misery, they have been fined 50 per cent of their match fee and penalised twelve points in the WTC points table for maintaining a slow over rate during the match. England were found twelve overs short of the target once time allowances were taken into account.

Following the sanction, England remained in seventh spot in the WTC points table but are now on 38 points after a 12-point deduction, with their points percentage also dropping from 34.72 to 26.38.

The sanction was handed down by Andy Pycroft, who’s a part of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.

According to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which covers minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their team fails to complete within the allotted time.

In addition, Article 16.11.2 of the World Test Championship playing conditions states that a team loses one championship point for each over short. As a result, England have been penalised 12 crucial points in the WTC standings.

Ben Stokes to return for third Test

England's interim captain, Joe Root, admitted the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, removing the need for a formal hearing.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, along with third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.

Meanwhile, following their crushing defeat, England have brought back their captain Ben Stokes into the squad along with all-rounder Gus Atkinson, who missed the second Test after a controversial nightclub incident. The third Test between England and New Zealand will begin on June 25 and is scheduled to be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

Updated World Test Championship Points Table for 2025-27 Cycle