New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 is reaching its business end, with a three-match Test series between New Zealand and England, finally concluding on Tuesday with both teams out of contention for the title clash at Lord’s next year.
The state of play currently sees India and Australia, the last year’s finalists, fighting it out to make it to the finals during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy while South Africa await the Pakistani challenge at home.
Australia’s brief stint at the top of the 2023-25 World Test Championship standings lasted just over a day, as South Africa overtook them with a hard-earned victory over Sri Lanka by 109 runs.
The Proteas had to dig deep, but a standout all-round performance helped them secure the win, placing them as the front-runners for the WTC25 Final at Lord’s.
Following England’s win over New Zealand in Christchurch in the first Test, both sides were penalised three WTC points for maintaining a slow over-rate and the Black Caps dropped to the fifth place in the standings.
New Zealand’s chances of making it to the summit clash took a significant hit after yet another dominating performance by England in the second Test in Wellington. New Zealand won the final Test by 423 runs and both teams finished their WTC25 campaign with the conclusion of the series at fourth and sixth spots respectively.
-First – South Africa – 63.33 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: Pakistan (home, two Tests)
Best Possible Finish: 69.44 per cent
Carrying on the form from their impressive series win over Bangladesh in the sub-continent, South Africa whitewashed Sri Lanka 2-0 at home. This dominant performance has propelled them to the top of the World Test Championship standings, surpassing Australia, as per ICC.
The upcoming two home games against Pakistan are extremely important for South Africa, for if they continue this winning run, they will be safely placed to make the World Test Championship irrespective of how the other sides fare.
-Second – Australia – 60.71 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: India (home, three Tests), Sri Lanka (away, two Tests)
Best possible finish: 71.05 per cent
It has been a closely fought contest between Australia and India to remain in the top two of the WTC25 standings. The reigning World Test Championship winners Australia, who had regained the top spot after India’s series loss to New Zealand, slipped when they lost in Perth with India reaching the top.
South Africa’s win in the first Test against Sri Lanka pushed them down to No.3. However, a dominant win in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide propelled them to the top once again, albeit only temporarily as the Proteas surged ahead to claim the No.1 spot.
With the Border-Gavaskar series now tied at 1-1, Australia are in a strong position for a top-two finish. They will also tour Sri Lanka next year for an additional two Tests, meaning they could theoretically draw 2-2 with India and stay in contention for a place in the final.
-Third – India – 57.29 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: Australia (away, three Tests)
Best possible finish: 64.04 per cent
After an unprecedented 3-0 series whitewash at home in October against New Zealand which pushed them down a spot in the WTC table, India bounced back in the race for Lord’s with a comprehensive win against Australia in Perth.
An all-round display from the batters and the bowlers in Perth has rekindled India’s hopes for a third straight appearance in the WTC Final. However, their hopes were dashed when they suffered a 10-wicket loss at the hands of Australia in the second Test, which forced them to slip to No.3 in the Standings.
It would not be easy but is not impossible as India need to win all of their three matches to ensure qualification.
-Fourth – New Zealand – 48.21 per cent
A historic series sweep in India had bolstered New Zealand’s hope of claiming a second World Test Championship title but their chances took a severe hit following a loss to Ben Stokes’ England in the first Test in Christchurch.
New Zealand’s hopes were further dented after they were penalised three points for a slow over-rate in the first Test. As a result, they dropped to fifth in the standings, having previously shared fourth place with Sri Lanka.
The Black Caps’ woes continued when they suffered a big defeat in the second Test in Wellington, losing by 323 runs and slipping to sixth in the standings as England overtook them.
The two losses ended their hopes of qualifying for the final and despite a massive 423-run victory in the final Test, they are still only fourth on the current WTC25 standings list.
-Fifth – Sri Lanka – 45.45 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: Australia (home, two Tests)
Best Possible Finish: 53.85 per cent
A head-turning victory over England in the third Test away followed by a 2-0 whitewash of New Zealand at home was the highlight of Sri Lanka’s recent Test returns, and the Island nation went to South Africa confidently.
However, a 2-0 series whitewash at the hands of the Proteas has significantly damaged Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the WTC25 Final, leaving them needing several results to go their way for any hope of qualification.
-Sixth – England – 43.18 per cent
While a rampant home season had sparked some hopes for England, consecutive losses in Pakistan saw them drop out of contention for a spot at next year’s final.
They began their final outing in the WTC, a three-match series against the Black Caps towards the end of November on a positive note with an eight-wicket win. And then followed it up with a big 323-win in the second Test, thereby taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
England did not do well in the final Test and suffered a massive 423-run loss, ending sixth on the WTC25 table.
-Seventh – Pakistan – 33.33 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: South Africa (away, two Tests), West Indies (home, two Tests)
Best Possible Finish: 52.38 per cent
Pakistan has won back-to-back Tests under the watchful eye of new coach Jason Gillespie, but remain out of contention of reaching the final with a total of six teams ahead of them on the standings.
While Pakistan could still win their remaining four Tests and finish with a percentage as high as 52.38 per cent, this is unlikely to be enough to finish in the top two places on the standings.
They next play South Africa at the end of December and then will welcome West Indies home for two Tests in January next year.
-Eighth – Bangladesh – 31.25 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: Nil
Best Possible Finish: 31.25 per cent
The Asian side finished their campaign on a high with an impressive 101-run victory over the West Indies that helped them off the bottom of the World Test Championship standings.
While it has been a relatively disappointing cycle for Bangladesh, they will be buoyed by the fact they won three Test matches away from home that including a series sweep over Pakistan earlier this year.
That gives Bangladesh some hope for the next cycle, though they will want to find some more consistent results on home soil.
Ninth – West Indies – 24.24 per cent of possible points
Remaining matches: Pakistan (away, two matches)
Best Possible Finish: 35.90 per cent
Inconsistency has plagued the West Indies for much of the current cycle, with some of their best moments often followed by disappointing efforts.
The highlight so far was their moment of glory against Australia in Brisbane in early 2024, while their recent triumph over Bangladesh at home in the first Test showed what they are capable of when producing their best cricket.
A batting collapse in the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh proved too much for the West Indies to overturn as they fell to a 101-run loss in Jamaica to drop to ninth place on the standings, but they at least get the chance to finish on a high with a two-match series in Pakistan early in 2025. (ANI)
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