New Zealand Advances to the Final of the World Test Cricket Championship
New Zealand’s recent victory over the West Indies positions them favorably to reach the final of the World Test Cricket Championship (WTC), which will be held in June 2021 at Lord’s. New Zealand was on the verge of reaching the top spot in the Test rankings, being only 0.086 points behind Australia, after their victory in Wellington.However, the situation generated some initial confusion. For several hours after the match, the ICC’s predictive tool showed New Zealand at the top of the table. Subsequently, the ICC clarified in a tweet that Australia occupies first place with 116.461 rating points, while New Zealand has 116.375.
Australia could cement its leadership 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 from four series in the current cycle, which ends on March 31, 2021. If they repeat the 2-0 result against Pakistan, they would add 420 points from five series.This would leave India in need of five victories (or four victories 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.
In a scenario without a pandemic, New Zealand would also have had to score points in a series in Bangladesh, but due to the cancellation of some series, the ICC modified the classification criteria, moving from absolute points to a percentage of points played. That is, points per series played.Currently, Australia leads the WTC table, with 82.2% of the points won. If they achieve a 2-2 draw against India, they will continue to lead with a percentage of 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 matches against Pakistan, it will finish with 84 points per series played, or 70% of the points played.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 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.
