New Zealand advances to the final of the World Test Cricket Championship
The recent victory of New Zealand over the West Indies has given them a great opportunity to reach the final of the World Test Cricket Championship (WTC), which will be played in June 2021 at Lord’s.
New Zealand was on the verge of reaching the top spot in the Test rankings, finishing just 0.086 points behind Australia, after their victory in Wellington.
However, the news was not without drama. For several hours after the match, the ICC’s prediction tool showed New Zealand at the top of the table, which caused some confusion. The ICC clarified in a tweet that Australia is in first place with 116.461 rating points, while New Zealand has 116.375.
Australia could extend their lead if they win the home series against India. Two wins over the West Indies took New Zealand to 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 finish with 420 points from five series.
This will leave India needing five wins, or four wins and three draws, from their last eight Test matches (away against Australia and at home against England) to deny New Zealand a place in the WTC final to be played at Lord’s.
In a world without a pandemic, New Zealand would also have had to earn points in a series in Bangladesh, but because some series could not be played, the ICC had to change the qualification criteria from absolute points to a percentage of points played. In other words, 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 the table with a percentage of 74.17%, but if they lose 1-2, their percentage will fall to 70.
New Zealand, if they win their two Test 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 beat New Zealand’s score of 84 points per series or 70% of the points played. Each of their remaining Test victories will now be worth 30 points, and draws will give them 10 points. Five wins or four wins and three draws will leave them ahead of New Zealand.
Regarding the rankings, depending on how the India vs. Australia series and the New Zealand vs. Pakistan series go, Australia could extend its lead in the number 1 position or concede ground to New Zealand.
