WTC: Points Deducted Due To Slow Over Rate For ENG & NZ

New Zealand and England suffered a severe jolt as both have lost substantial points in the WTC due to their slow over-rates in the first Test at Christchurch. For that, they have both lost three points each from the WTC and were financially penalized, besides the players losing 15% of their match money.

The penalty has been immediate for New Zealand in that they have dropped from the fourth to the fifth spot in the WTC standings. Their aspirations of reaching the WTC final next year have been hugely dented, especially in the light of their loss in the first Test.

The effect of reduction on WTC points table

The points penalty has compounded their problems, as New Zealand is now at 47.92% of the available points. Even if they win their remaining two matches, the maximum they can accumulate is 55.36%. This leaves them in a precarious position, with their qualification for the final increasingly unlikely.

England, already in a not-so-easy situation, has been mathematically excluded from the race to host the WTC final. They are in sixth place at the moment and have only 42.50% of the total available points. Slow over-rates penalty points confirmed their absence from the finals, and all their tiny hopes of making a late comeback were also dashed.

Both teams were found to be three overs short of the required target, and hence, one point per over was deducted from each team. The decision was taken by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker, along with third umpire Adrian Holdstock and fourth official Kim Cotton after the Test match, which was accepted by the respective captains, Tom Latham of New Zealand and Ben Stokes of England.

The penalty has come at a very critical time for New Zealand, who had been going great guns in the tournament so far. Even though they showed a lot of promise in their recent series win over India, where they won 3-0, they could not carry that form into Christchurch.

The eight-wicket defeat in the first Test, coupled with the over-rate penalty, has badly dented their aspirations of reaching their second consecutive WTC final.

As the match advances, India and South Africa are at the number one and two positions currently, while Australia is at number three and Sri Lanka is in the fourth position. Going by the remaining 15 matches in the running cycle, the top two positions are still very much open, and several teams have a chance to close the gap.

However, for New Zealand as well as England, the slow over-rate penalty did huge damage to their aspirations of making it into the final.

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