London, 22 June (H.S.):

England's hopes of reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time have suffered a major setback after the team was penalised 12 WTC points for maintaining a slow over rate during the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval.

New Zealand defeated England by 253 runs in the second Test to level the three-match series. Following the match, it was determined that England had fallen 12 overs short of the required over rate after time allowances were taken into account.

As a result, England was docked 12 World Test Championship points. In addition, the players were fined 50 per cent of their match fees for the over-rate offence.

In a statement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said England's stand-in captain Joe Root accepted responsibility for the offence and agreed to the proposed sanction, eliminating the need for a formal disciplinary hearing.

Following the penalty, England remains seventh in the World Test Championship standings, but its points percentage has dropped significantly from 34.72 to 26.38.

The top two teams in the World Test Championship standings will qualify for next year's final at Lord's. Australia and South Africa currently occupy the top two positions in the table.

England's regular captain Ben Stokes is set to return for the third and final Test against New Zealand in Nottingham. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test after being suspended for breaching the team's curfew following a visit to a London nightclub.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar