LONDON: England have been fined 12 points and 50% of their match fee for the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
The concession effectively wipes out the 12 WTC points England gained from the series opener at Lord’s, as a Test win is worth 12 points in the Championship rankings.
At the end of the match, England were 12 overs short of the required target after time was taken into account.
Under WTC playing conditions, teams deduct one championship point for each over.
Additionally, the ICC Code of Conduct stipulates a fine of 5% of the match fee for each short over, with a maximum penalty of 50% – the penalty imposed on England.
The charge was taken by field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.
England stand-in captain Joe Root, who replaced Ben Stokes following the Rex Rooms incident, pleaded guilty to the crime, removing the need for a formal trial.
The ban was upheld by match referee Andy Bycroft.
England suffered a 253-run defeat in the second Test, allowing New Zealand to level the three-match series 1–1 ahead of the decider at Trent Bridge, scheduled to begin on 25 June.
As a result of the points reduction, England are now seventh in the WTC table with 38 points from 12 Tests, equivalent to a percentage of 26.39 points.
This is the second time the UK has been fined for slow overrate during the current WTC cycle. They had previously secured two points following a 22-run win over India at Lord’s in 2025.
During the previous WTC cycle (2023-25), England lost a total of 22 points due to slow over-rate offenses and eventually finished fifth.