New Zealand Advances to the World Test Championship Final
The recent victory of New Zealand over the West Indies has opened the doors to the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), which will be played in June 2021 at Lord’s.
New Zealand was a step away from reaching the top spot in the Test rankings. Currently, it is only 0.086 points behind Australia, after its victory in Wellington.
After the match, the ICC’s prediction tool showed New Zealand at the top of the table, which caused some confusion. However, this turned out to be an error, as the ICC clarified that Australia holds the first place with 116.461 rating points, while New Zealand has 116.375.
Australia could consolidate its lead if it wins the home series against India. On the other hand, New Zealand’s two victories over the West Indies have earned them 300 WTC points from four series in the current cycle, which ends on March 31, 2021. If they repeat the 2-0 result against Pakistan, they will add 420 points from five series.
This would leave India needing five wins, or four wins and three draws, from their last eight Test matches to deny New Zealand a place in the WTC final.
Due to the pandemic, the ICC had to modify the grading criteria, moving from absolute points to a percentage of points disputed, that is, points per series played.
Australia currently leads the WTC table, with 82.2% of the points won. If they manage a 2-2 draw against India, they will maintain the lead with a percentage of 74.17. If they lose 1-2, their percentage will decrease to 70.
If New Zealand wins both matches against Pakistan, it will end with 84 points per series played, or 70% of the points disputed.
India, with 360 points from four series, will need to surpass 504 points to exceed New Zealand’s score of 84 points per series or 70% of the points contested. Each remaining Test victory will be worth 30 points, and draws will earn them 10 points. They will need five victories or four victories and three draws to surpass New Zealand.
Regarding the rankings, Australia could extend its lead at number 1 or concede ground to New Zealand, depending on how the India vs. Australia and New Zealand vs. Pakistan series turn out.
