New Zealand close to the World Test Championship final
New Zealand’s recent sweep over the West Indies puts them in a favorable position to reach the final of the World Test Cricket Championship (WTC), to be held at Lord’s in June 2021.
New Zealand was a step away from reaching the top spot in the Test ranking, being only 0.086 points behind Australia. This happened after their victory in Wellington.
Match Results
However, there was some confusion after the match, as the ICC’s prediction tool initially showed New Zealand on top. The ICC clarified via a tweet that Australia remains in 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. The two wins over the West Indies gave New Zealand 300 WTC points from four series in the current cycle, which ends on March 31, 2021.
If New Zealand repeats the 2-0 result against Pakistan later in their summer, they will finish with 420 points from five series.
This would mean that India would need five wins, or four wins and three draws, in their last eight Test matches (away against Australia and at home against England) to prevent New Zealand from reaching the WTC final at Lord’s.
Due to the pandemic, the ICC modified the qualification 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 still lead with a percentage of 74.17%, but if they lose 1-2, their percentage will fall to 70%.
New Zealand, if they win both matches against Pakistan, will finish with 84 points per series played or 70% of the points contested.
When India finishes its series against Australia and England, it will have played six series or 720 points. 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 of their remaining Test victories will be worth 30 points, and draws will give them 10 points. Five victories, or four victories and three draws, will leave them ahead of New Zealand.
Regarding the rankings, depending on how the India vs. Australia and New Zealand vs. Pakistan series unfold, Australia could extend its lead in first place or concede ground to New Zealand.
