England and New Zealand Penalized Three WTC Points Each for Slow Over-Rate in Christchurch Test
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Christchurch, December 3 (NationPress) England and New Zealand have been penalized for a slow over-rate during the initial Test match held in Christchurch. Each team has been subjected to a fine of 15 percent of their match fees and has lost three World Test Championship (WTC) points, as stated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.
David Boon, a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, enforced the penalties after it was determined that both Ben Stokes and Tom Latham’s teams were found to be three overs short of the required target, even after considering time allowances, according to an ICC statement.
In line with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which pertains to minimum over-rate violations, players incur a fine of five percent of their match fee for every over their team fails to complete within the allocated time.
Furthermore, as outlined in Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a team is penalized one point for each over that falls short.
Both captains admitted guilt regarding the violation and accepted the proposed penalties, eliminating the need for a formal hearing.
The on-field umpires, Ahsan Raza, Rod Tucker, third umpire Adrian Holdstock, and fourth official Kim Cotton, brought forth the charges.
England triumphed in the first Test by eight wickets, which significantly impacted New Zealand's prospects of reaching their second WTC final. Despite their impressive victory at Hagley Oval, England is already out of the running for next year's final. The deduction of points, however, deals a significant blow to New Zealand, dropping them from tied fourth to fifth place in the standings.
New Zealand now holds a points percentage (PCT) of 47.92 percent and can only improve to 55.36 percent if they win their remaining two matches against England.
This situation means the inaugural World Test Championship winners face a daunting challenge to qualify for next year's one-off Test in June 2025. They will need to secure two victories against England and have several other results favor them to reach the final at Lord's.
Currently, India leads the standings with 61.11 PCT, while South Africa’s victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test has positioned them second, with 59.26 PCT, followed by Australia with 57.69 PCT.
