England’s bruising week took another hit on Sunday, June 21, as the ICC sanctioned the hosts for a slow over-rate in their second Test defeat to New Zealand at The Oval. Barely hours after being thrashed by 253 runs in the second match of the three-Test home series, England were handed a fresh setback that further dented their World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign.
The ICC confirmed that England were found guilty of failing to maintain the required over-rate during the match. As a result, the players were fined 50 per cent of their match fees, while the team also lost 12 points in the current WTC cycle after finishing 12 overs short once all time allowances were taken into account.
That punishment has had an immediate impact on the standings. England have slipped to seventh place in the WTC 2025-27 table with 38 points, while their points percentage has dropped sharply from 34.72 to 26.38. The sanction was imposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
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Under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, teams are fined five per cent of a match fee for every over short of the target. In addition, Article 16.11.2 of the World Test Championship playing conditions states that one championship point is deducted for each over a side fails to bowl within the allotted time, which is why England lost 12 points.
England have been docked vital #WTC27 points owing to slow over rate during the second Test against New Zealand.
More details 👇https://t.co/rnrIofvISm
— ICC (@ICC) June 21, 2026
Stand-in captain Joe Root accepted the charge and the proposed sanction, meaning no formal hearing was required. The offence was levelled by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd.
On the field, New Zealand seamer Matt Henry delivered the performance of the match. After taking five wickets in England’s first innings, he returned with six more in the second, becoming only the second New Zealand bowler to claim five-wicket hauls in both innings of a Test in England.
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Henry finished with stunning match figures of 11 for 109 in 42.1 overs, setting a new benchmark for the best bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in a Test against England in England.
