ENG vs NZ Test: Why England lost 2 World Test Championship points in Nottingham Test?

ENG vs NZ Test: England team won the Nottingham test against New Zealand, but they have been fined 2 World Test Championship points.

The 2nd test between England and New Zealand was one of the most thrilling test encounters in a recent while. New Zealand gave a target of 299 runs to the English side on Day 5 with a minimum of 72 overs left in the match. Generally, the teams play safe, but it was a different English unit.

The philosophy of new coach Brendon McCullum was clearly visible on the field, and the English side chased the target in just 50 overs. The way Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes batted for the side was such an incredible sight to watch in a test match. Bairstow smashed 136 runs in just 92 balls at a strike-rate of 147.83, whereas Captain Ben Stokes remained unbeaten at 75 runs.

ENG vs NZ Test

The English team ended the Nottingham test on a high, but they have been penalized two World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate in the Nottingham test against New Zealand. Apart from the lost points, the players have also been fined 40% of their match fees.

In the Ashes test against Australia in Brisbane, the English team was penalized eight points. So, the English team has lost a total of 10 points in the World Test Championship so far. England moved to 42 points after the win, but they are now at 40 points, whereas their point percentage dropped from 25 to 23.80%.

As per ICC rules, the players are fined 20% of their match fees for every short over, whereas according to the WTC rules, one point is ducked off for every short over, England was two overs short. English captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the event, and the match referee imposed the decisions.

The English team is now at the eighth position in the table, whereas the current champions New Zealand are at the seventh place.