New Zealand Advances to the Final of the World Test Cricket Championship
New Zealand’s recent victory over the West Indies puts them in a favorable position to reach the final of the World Test Cricket Championship (WTC), scheduled for June 2021 at Lord’s.
After their triumph in Wellington, New Zealand was very close to the top spot in the test ranking, being only 0.086 points behind Australia.
However, the situation generated some confusion due to an error in the ICC’s prediction tool, which initially showed New Zealand at the top. The ICC clarified that Australia maintains 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. For their part, New Zealand’s two victories over the West Indies gave them 300 WTC points, corresponding to four series in the current cycle, which ends on March 31, 2021.
If New Zealand repeats the 2-0 result against Pakistan, it will accumulate 420 points in five series.
This implies that India will need five wins, or four wins and three draws, in their last eight test matches (against Australia and at home against England) to deny New Zealand a place in the WTC final at Lord’s.
Due to the global situation, the ICC modified the classification criteria, moving from absolute points to a percentage of points played, i.e., points per series played.
Australia currently leads the WTC table with 82.2% of the points won. If they draw 2-2 against India, they will maintain the lead with 74.17%. If they lose 1-2, their percentage will drop to 70%. Australia also has a three-test series scheduled in South Africa.
If New Zealand wins both tests against Pakistan, it will finish with 84 points per series played, equivalent to 70% of the points played.
India, which currently has 360 points in four series, will have played six series or 720 points at the end of its matches against Australia and England. They will need to surpass 504 points to exceed New Zealand’s score of 84 points per series or 70% of the points played. Each remaining test victory will be worth 30 points, and draws, 10 points. With five victories or four victories and three draws, they will surpass New Zealand.
Regarding the ranking, depending on the performance of India against Australia and New Zealand against Pakistan, Australia could consolidate its lead or cede ground to New Zealand.
