NZ's WTC final hopes crushed after slow-over rate penalty in Christchurch

After a staggering eight-wicket loss against England, New Zealand’s hopes of reaching their second World Test Championship (WTC) final took a further beating on December 3, when they were docked points for slow over-rate. Both the Blackcaps and England were docked three WTC points, which essentially took their Points percentage - to 47.92 and 42.50, respectively. 

It took the Blackcaps from fourth to fifth, leaving the spot for the WTC final wide open, with as many as four teams involved in the battle - India, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Not just that, the players from both setups were fined 15%, adding salt to the wound. 

"New Zealand and England were both found to have three overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration, with sides penalised one point for each over they were found to be short," ICC's press release said. 

"Both captains - Tom Latham of New Zealand and Ben Stokes of England - pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing."

Each team lost three points because they were three overs short of their expected over rate, as onfield umpires Ahsan Raza and Rod Tucker levelled the charge. Both the skippers - Tom Latham and Ben Stokes - accepted the charges.

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