England captain Ben Stokes has openly criticized the ICC’s decision to punish his team for slow over-rates after their crushing eight-wicket victory over New Zealand at Hagley Oval in the first Test. Taking to his Instagram account, the English Test skipper shared a story. “Good on you ICC” reads his story with three shrugging faces.
Stokes was surprised by the fact that England finished the match well within time, but they were penalized three WTC points and had to pay 15% of their match fees. On Instagram, he added, “Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left”.
England Penalized Again for Slow Over Rate
The penalty forms part of a wider issue for England in the WTC cycle. They have now lost 22 WTC points for slow over-rates, adding to 19 points from the 2023 Ashes series. These have substantially derailed their aspirations to reach the WTC final.
England lies sixth in the WTC standings at the moment. However, their chances of a top finish are all but gone. The last two times England was in the WTC cycle, they finished fourth.
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New Zealand Also Penalized
New Zealand also suffered the same fate as they lost three WTC points. They have now slipped from fourth to fifth in the table. Their current points percentage of 47.92% has very little chance of reaching the WTC final. Even if they win the remaining two matches of the series, they can only manage a maximum of 55.36%.
The penalties came after both teams were found to be three overs short of the required rate. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, along with third umpire Adrian Holdstock and fourth official Kim Cotton, issued the charges. Match referee David Boon imposed the sanctions, which both captains, Stokes and Tom Latham, accepted.
India and South Africa currently hold the top two spots in the WTC Points Table. They are followed by Australia at three and Sri Lanka at four. There are still 15 matches remaining in the current WTC Cycle. Thus, any of the top 4 teams can make it to the final.
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