New Delhi: Ben Stokes mocked the International Cricket Council (ICC) and made his displeasure known after both England and New Zealand were penalised for slow over-rates after the first Test between the two sides at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. England defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets in the game to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Both teams were docked three points each in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table while the players were fined 15% of their match fees for failing to maintain the required over rate in the first Test. Reacting to the sanctions imposed by the ICC, Stokes took to his Instagram account to take a dig at the world cricket governing body.
“Good on you ICC. Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left,” Stokes wrote in his Instagram story.
England pulled off a record chase in their second innings to complete a dominant 8-wicket win against New Zealand. They pulled off the fastest-ever 100-plus run chase in Test history after nailing down the target of 104 runs in just 12.4 overs in the 1st Test in Christchurch. Both England and New Zealand were found 3 overs short of their respective targets and were docked a point each for every over.
This is not the first time England have been hurt by the docking of points by the ICC for maintaining slow over rates. They have already lost as many as 22 points in the ongoing World Test Championship 2023-35 cycle due to slow over-rates.
How ICC’s penalty affects England and New Zealand’s chances in WTC 2023-25
England finished 4th in the last two editions of the World Test Championship (WTC) and look set to miss out on a spot in the final once again in the ongoing edition. England are currently sitting at the sixth spot on the WTC 2023-25 points table with 102 points and a win percentage of 42.50 after 10 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw from 20 matches.
The points penalty would hurt New Zealand badly as they were in contention to make it to the WTC 2023-25 final. The Black Caps are currently placed 5th on the points table with a win percentage of 47.92 after six wins and as many losses from 12 matches in the ongoing cycle.
England Test captain Ben Stokes slammed ICC after his side were docked three WTC points following their 8-wicket win against New Zealand in the 1st Test in Christchurch. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
