England have been docked two points after their sensational victory in the second Test at Trent Bridge due to slow over rate. The players have also been fined 40% of their match fees.
England pulled off a victory to remember for the ages in the second Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. However, they were found guilty of yet another slow over rate offence in the current World Test Championship cycle, losing a total 10 points to such offences. Along with losing two points, their players were also fined 40% match fee.
The on-field umpires Michael Gough and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Martin Saggers took allowances into consideration and deemed England two overs short.
The match referee Richie Richardson imposed the sanction without the need for a formal hearing after England skipper Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the offence.
According to ICC’s rules for over-rate offences, players are fined 20% match fee for every over their side is short of in the allotted time. As per the WTC playing conditions, a team is docked one point for each over short. England now have 40 points on the WTC table with a points percentage of 23.80 – placed eighth behind New Zealand.
The hosts registered one of the greatest wins in the red-ball format, chasing down 299 in just 50 overs on the fifth day when they were given a minimum of 72 overs. Having been reduced to 93/4, Jonny Bairstow and Stokes shared an incredible stand of 179 runs in 20.1 overs to put the team in the winning position.
Bairstow produced one of the most brutal beatdowns in Test cricket, scoring 136 off 92. Bairstow fell one ball short of the 120-year-old record of the fastest Test hundred for England, completing it in 77 balls.
After Bairstow’s dismissal, Stokes and Ben Foakes saw the team home, recording the highest chase in Test at Trent Bridge. Stokes remained unbeaten on an excellent 75 off 70.
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