New Zealand advances to the final of the World Test Cricket Championship
The recent victory of New Zealand over the West Indies has positioned them favorably to reach the final of the World Test Cricket Championship (WTC), which will be held at Lord’s in June 2021.
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.
The celebration was not without some confusion. For several hours after the match, the ICC’s predictive tool showed New Zealand at the top of the table, but then it was corrected, confirming Australia in first place with 116.461 rating points, compared to New Zealand’s 116.375.
Australia will look to consolidate their lead in the home series against India. However, New Zealand’s two wins over the West Indies earned them 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, they will accumulate 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.
Due to the current situation, the ICC adjusted the classification criteria, moving from absolute points to a percentage of points disputed.
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 74.17%, but if they lose 1-2, their percentage will decrease to 70%.
If New Zealand wins both matches against Pakistan, they will finish with 84 points per series played or 70% of the points played.
India, which currently has 360 points from four series played, will have played six series or 720 points at the end of its series 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 will give them 10 points. Five victories, or four victories and three draws, will put them ahead of New Zealand.
As for the rankings, depending on how the India vs. Australia and New Zealand vs. Pakistan series unfold, Australia could extend its lead at number 1 or cede ground to New Zealand.
