ENGLAND LOSE 12 WTC POINTS FOR SLOW OVER RATE AT OVAL

This is the second time England have lost points for a slow over rate in this World Test Championship cycle

Joe Root accepted the charge of maintaining a slow over rate at The Oval  •  Philip Brown/Getty Images

England have been docked 12 points in the World Test Championship and fined 50% of their match fee for a slow over-rate offence against New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval. Since a win is worth 12 WTC points, the penalty has cost England the points they earned for beating New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's.

England were found to be 12 overs short of the target at The Oval after factoring in time allowances. According to the World Test Championship playing conditions, a team is penalised one point for each over short. The ICC's Code of Conduct says players will be fined 5% of their match fee for each over short but the maximum is capped at 50%, which is the penalty England have been hit with.

The charges were brought by on-field umpires Adrian Holdstock and Nitin Menon, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd. England captain Joe Root, who was standing in for Ben Stokes in the aftermath of the Rex Rooms incident, pled guilty and so no hearing was needed with match referee Andy Pycroft.

England lost the second Test by 253 runs, with the series level at 1-1 ahead of the decider at Trent Bridge from June 25. England are currently seventh out of nine teams in the WTC standings with 38 points from 12 Tests, which translates to 26.39 percentage points.

This is the second time England have been docked points for a slow over rate in the current WTC cycle. They lost two points for the same offence during their 22-run victory against India at Lord's in 2025. In the previous WTC cycle from 2023 to 2025, England had lost 22 points due to slow over-rate offences and finished fifth.

- ESPNcricinfo

ENGLAND SEAL HISTORIC TEST WIN IN PAKISTAN

Joe Root and Harry Brook shared the highest ever Test partnership for England as the tourists staged a stunning comeback and make history in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan.

Pakistan’s 220 all out on the final day left England victors by an innings and 47 runs. No team in Test history has ever conceded as many as the 556 as England did in Pakistan’s first innings then gone on to win by an innings.

It means England have now won on three successive occasions when they have leaked totals in excess of 500. Only once before have England fielded first, been hit for more runs and gone on to win and that was in 1894.

The turnaround was built on a staggering batting effort, when England amassed their highest total since 1938, 823-7 declared. Brook’s 317 was England’s first triple-century for 34 years and his 454-run partnership with Joe Root, who made 262, their highest in Tests.

Though Pakistan began the fifth day six wickets down, Abrar Ahmed was absent through illness, and England were initially held up by Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal adding 109 for the seventh wicket.

Jack Leach needed only four deliveries to trap Salman lbw for 63, then took a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi. Naseem Shah charged to be stumped, giving Leach 4-30 in his first Test since January.

England have now won four consecutive Tests in Pakistan and can win the series in the second Test on the same ground, beginning on Tuesday.

England Captain Ollie Pope, speaking to BBC Test Match Special: “Amazing. The way Rooty and Brooky batted was phenomenal. Coming off the field after the first innings we knew 550 was a lot of runs.

“We didn’t know how much [the pitch] was going to break up, but it held together pretty nicely and the boys cashed in.

“We had to find a way of taking wickets, as captain you have to try to get creative and set different plans. That was the main challenge for me trying to find a way of taking 10 wickets and being OK with them getting those runs and keeping your head if someone did get in.”

- Edgbaston.com

JOE ROOT BECOMES ENGLAND'S RECORD TEST RUN-SCORER, SURPASSING SIR ALASTAIR COOK'S TOTAL OF 12,472 RUNS

Joe Root arrived in Adelaide a cherubic teenage boy, but left a man and his career took off shortly afterwards (Getty 2017)

Joe Root is now in fifth position on Test cricket's all-time list of run-scorers after he became England's record holder by surpassing Sir Alastair Cook's total. Root achieved the impressive feat during day three of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. The Yorkshire player - who made his Test debut in 2012 - has also captained the side on a record 64 occasions.

Joe Root has become England’s all-time record run-scorer in Test cricket.

He surpassed Sir Alastair Cook’s tally of 12,472 runs on day three of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan.

Root achieved the feat by hitting a straight drive past bowler Aamir Jamal for four.

The Yorkshire player has reached the impressive milestone in 14 Tests fewer than it took Cook to get to the total he ended his career with.

Root made his Test debut in December 2012, when he scored 73 in his first innings against India.

He has gone on to hit 34 centuries in the format, with the first of those coming against New Zealand in 2013.

Root’s highest Test match score to date is 254, which he hit against Pakistan in 2016 at Old Trafford. That is one of the five times he has reached a double century.

The former England captain - who has led his country in 64 Tests - is now fifth on the all-time list of run-scorers in the format.

India’s legendary Sachin Tendulkar tops the list with 15,921 runs, ahead of Australia’s Ricky Ponting, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and India’s Rahul Dravid, who complete the top four.

With Dravid on 13,288 runs, Root will no doubt be aiming to chase him down too.

- LEWIS MASON