England captain Stokes responded to the sanctions by writing on his Instagram Story: “Well done ICC. Ending the game with 10 hours of play left.” England have now been awarded 22 WTC points in the 2023-25 cycle for slow over-rates, having previously lost 19 of the 28 points they gained during the 2023 Ashes series for the same reason.
Before the first Test, Stokes described the WTC as “completely confusing” and said he had never seriously considered the competition. England finished fourth in the first two editions of the WTC, and are sixth in the current cycle, meaning they will miss the chance to play the final on home soil for the third consecutive time.
New Zealand now have 47.92% points, and can only move up to 55.36% with wins in their remaining two matches in the series.
After considering the time allowance, both teams were found to be three overs short of the target, with both teams being penalized one point for each over found short.
On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, third umpire Adrian Holdstock and fourth official Kim Cotton made charges, which were accepted by Stokes and Tom Latham, both captains, and sanctioned by match referee David Boon.
The top two spots in the WTC table are currently occupied by India and South Africa respectively, with Australia at No. 3 and Sri Lanka at No. 4. With 15 Tests to go in the current WTC cycle, no team is assured of a top two finish.
After winning the Test series 3–0 in India, New Zealand’s poor fielding in Christchurch, resulting in an eight-wicket defeat, ruined any realistic chances of reaching their second WTC final.
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