Following the conclusion of the first Test between England and New Zealand, both teams were docked three WTC points and 15% of their match fees for maintaining slow over rates during the Hagley Oval test. 

England captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes was left confused after his side incurred a loss of WTC points despite finishing the game 10 hours earlier than the scheduled cessation time. 

See also: New Zealand receive another huge blow in WTC points table

So what's all the fuss about? 

Prior to the build-up to the first Test, Stokes claimed that he was overly confused by the whole idea of WTC and labeled it as "utterly confusing". Furthermore, the marquee all-rounder also added that he never gave the notion of the WTC enough consideration. 

England finished fourth in the earlier edition of the WTC cycle and are currently ranked sixth in the ongoing WTC edition meaning that they will miss their spot for the finals a second straight time. 

Stokes took to his Instagram handle to respond to the sanctions from the ICC. Writing on his Instagram story, Stokes took a humorous swipe at them by stating the following:

"Good on you ICC. Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left."

After losing 19 of the 28 points they earned during the 2023 Ashes series, England has now been punished 22 WTC points in the 2023–25 cycle for their slow over-rates. In the aftermath of the first Test, both teams were found guilty of being behind by three overs even after taking time allowances into consideration. 

Where do the two teams stand now in the 2023-25 WTC points table?

The implementation of slow over-rate penalties has done more harm than good to New Zealand who were coming off after registering a famous test series sweep against India. The defeat has now tarnished their WTC aspirations as the Black Caps slipped from fourth to fifth position in the points table and can only move as high as 55.36% with wins from their remaining two fixtures in the series.

England on the other hand, are all but out of the WTC Final race but have bettered their standing slightly by moving to the sixth position.