QUALIFICATION SCENARIO
Follow UsThe final of the third edition of the World Test Championship is scheduled to be played at Lord's in June 2025. Well, it is still a year and a half to go. The longer format will be put to rest with the ICC T20 World Cup in the upcoming months.
Before the start of the World T20, five Test matches will take place. India will play against England in the fifth Test in the ongoing series in India, New Zealand will host Australia for two Tests starting tomorrow (February 29th), and Sri Lanka will tour Bangladesh for two Tests, starting from March 22nd.
So far, the cycle has witnessed 24 Tests till February 28th. Here is how the teams have stacked up at the halfway stage.
The table toppers are decided through points percentage (PCT). If you're wondering how the points percentage is calculated, we've got you covered.
A win fetches a team 12 points, and a draw carries four points. The total points available will be the number of matches played multiplied by win points (12). For example, if a team plays ten games, the maximum available points will be 120. So, the points percentage is the percent of the points received divided by the total available points.
Calculation: New Zealand, in this cycle, have played four matches, which means their total available points are 48 (4 x 12). With the three wins, they have 36 points. Their PCT is 36/48x100, which is 75%.
New Zealand (Mts - 4, Wins - 3, Loss - 1, Draw - 0, Pts - 36, PCT - 75%)
The inaugural champions of the WTC, New Zealand, are leading the table by 75% points. They started with a loss against Bangladesh (away) in the first Test and have won all three since then.
However, their stern test awaits against the defending champions Australia. They are set to play two Tests against the 2021-23 champs in the comfort of their home. If they win the series by 2-0, they will reach 40 points with 83.3% PCT and will have one foot in the WTC final.
If they win one game and draw the other, they will have 52 points with 72.3% PCT, still at the top. Even if they win one and lose one, they will remain at the top, depending on India's result against England in the Dharamshala Test. They will lose their top position for sure if they draw both games, lose one and draw one, or lose both.
After the series against Australia, New Zealand have a home series against England and two away tours to India and Sri Lanka in this cycle.
India (Mts - 8, Wins - 5, Loss - 2, Draw - 1, Pts - 62, PCT - 64.6%)
The two-time finalists are in a comfortable position. After a series win against England, India have jumped to the second spot. There is one more Test to go in the series. If India win that game as well, they will firmly be placed second with 74 points and 68.5% PCT. Irrespective of other results, they cannot be displaced lower than second. Either they will top the table or remain constant at the position.
After this Test series, India aren't scheduled to play any Test till September. They might host Bangladesh and New Zealand (yet to confirm) before leaving for the Border-Gavaskar trophy (Away) by year's end.
Australia (Mts - 10, Wins - 6, Loss - 3, Draw - 1, Pts - 66, PCT - 55%)
Australia's title defense started with two wins in the 2023 Ashes. However, they suffered a loss followed by a draw and another loss. Adding to their agony, they were docked ten points for slow over-rate in the Manchester Test. This is why, despite having six wins and one draw, their points received are 66 rather than 76.
Australia white-washed Pakistan in the home series in 2023-24. But, their most undesirable result came against West Indies in the home series that followed. While they won the first game comprehensively, they suffered a loss by a narrow margin in the second Test.
In their next assignment against New Zealand (away), if they win the series 2-0, they will have 78 points with 65% PCT. If India win the fifth Test against England, Australia will be second. If India draw or lose, Australia will top the table if they win both matches. Australia have India as their remaining home series in the cycle and they travel to Sri Lanka in the remaining assignment for this cycle.
Other contenders for the top two
Apart from Bangladesh, who are scheduled to play two Test at home against Sri Lanka, no other team from four to nine can make it to the top two.
Bangladesh have played only two matches and have won and lost one. They are at fourth with 12 points in two games with 50% PCT. If Bangladesh win both games, they will have 36 points in four with 75% PCT. This means they have the opportunity to top the table as well.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka, who have lost both their matches this cycle, are lying at the bottom of the table. Even if they manage to win the two games against Bangladesh, they will play in England in August, which will be a litmus Test for them.
After their three losses to India, England are languishing at eighth place in the points table. Despite winning three matches, they have only 21 points at 19.4% PCT to their name owing to their slow over-rate fine. They have been docked 19 points for their crime. In the first game of the cycle against Australia (Ashes 2023), they were docked two points, nine in the second, three in the fourth, and five in the fifth game.
They will play six Tests this summer, three against West Indies and three against Sri Lanka. In total, they are scheduled to play seven Tests this year, including the fifth Test against India. If they win all seven games, England will reach 120 points and have 62.5% PCT.
With that remarkable win against Australia, West Indies are above South Africa and England with 16 points and 33.3% PCT.
Because of their white-wash against Australia (0-3), Pakistan have only 22 points at 36.7% PCT. As for South Africa, apart from their win against India in Centurion, they haven't had satisfying results. New Zealand trounced a depleted Proteas team in the recent series.
As of now, it seems a three-way tussle between New Zealand, India, and Australia for yet another final. Things will become clearer in due course with all three teams slated to play each other. For now, all they can ensure is take every Test as a must-win encounter.
