England captain Ben Stokes expressed his bewilderment regarding over-rate penalties following their victory against New Zealand. He reacted on social media with three shrugging emojis and the comment: “Good on you ICC.”
Both New Zealand and England lost three World Test Championship (WTC) points due to slow over-rates in the first Test at Hagley Oval. All players were also fined 15% of their match fees.
Stokes further commented on Instagram: “Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left.”

England have now incurred a total of 22 WTC points deductions in the 2023-25 cycle for slow over-rates. This includes 19 points lost during the 2023 Ashes series.
Stokes previously expressed his views about the WTC, calling it “utterly confusing”. He admitted to not prioritising the competition.
England currently sit sixth in the ongoing WTC cycle. They previously finished fourth in the first two editions. This eliminates their chance to compete in the final on home soil for the third consecutive time.
New Zealand’s penalty dropped them from fourth to fifth in the WTC standings. This further hinders their prospects of reaching next year’s final after losing the first Test.New Zealand’s current WTC points percentage stands at 47.92%. Even with victories in the remaining two matches, they can only reach a maximum of 55.36%.
Both teams were found to be three overs short of the required rate after time allowances. Each over short results in a one-point penalty.The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, third umpire Adrian Holdstock, and fourth official Kim Cotton.
Both captains, Stokes and Tom Latham, accepted the charges. Match referee David Boon imposed the sanctions.
India and South Africa currently hold the top two positions in the WTC table, followed by Australia and Sri Lanka. With 15 Tests remaining in the cycle, no team is guaranteed a spot in the top two.
New Zealand’s eight-wicket loss to England, attributed to poor fielding, significantly impacted their chances of a second WTC final appearance. This followed their 3-0 series victory in India.