LONDON: England’s dreams of a maiden appearance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final suffered a blow after they were docked 12 points for their slow over-rate in the comprehensive defeat by New Zealand at The Oval on Sunday.

New Zealand levelled the three-Test series with a 253-run victory against England, who were found 12 overs short of the target. The home side have been fined 50% of their match fees but losing 12 WTC points will sting more.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2026