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England and Australia's men's cricket teams have suffered losses in the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) final of the 2023-25 points table after being penalised for slow over-rates during their Ashes 2023 series. After the latest deductions, England drop below the West Indies in the World Test Championship points table, now occupying the 5th position while Pakistan top the table and India are second.
According to updated ICC rules, players from both sides saw a 5% deduction from their match fees and lost one WTC point for every over they fell short of completing.
Despite a 2-2 draw in the Ashes series, Australia succeeded in retaining the Urn. England, led by Ben Stokes, managed a remarkable 49-run victory in the final Test at The Oval, preventing Australia from achieving their first Ashes series win in England since 2001.
From the recently concluded Ashes series, Australia lost 10 WTC points due to a slow over-rate in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, England lost a cumulative 19 points for failing to maintain the required over-rate in four of the five Tests. It is mandatory for teams to bowl 90 overs per day.
In the WTC, teams are awarded 12 points for a Test win, 4 points for a draw, and no points for a loss.
Looking at the over-rate shortfall, England was two overs behind in the first Test at Edgbaston, nine behind in the second Test at Lord's, three behind in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, and five behind in the final Test at The Oval.
Breaking down the match fee fines, Australia was imposed a fine of 50% of their match fee for being 10 overs short in Manchester during the fourth Test. This amounts to a 5% fine for each over short, with a maximum limit of 50%.
England's fines varied across the series, with a 10% fine for the first Test, a substantial 45% fine for the second, a 15% fine for the fourth, and a 25% fine for the fifth. This reflects the slow over-rate offences in the first two and the last two Tests of the series.
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