New Zealand close to the World Test Championship final
The recent victory of New Zealand over the West Indies has opened the doors to the final of the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC), which will be played at Lord’s in June.
New Zealand was on the verge of reaching the top spot in the Test rankings, finishing just 0.086 points behind Australia.
The victory in Wellington generated some confusion, as the ICC’s prediction tool initially showed New Zealand on top. However, the ICC clarified that Australia remains in first place with 116.461 points, while New Zealand has 116.375.
Australia will seek to consolidate its lead in the series against India. For its part, New Zealand has 300 points in the WTC after four series in the current cycle, which ends on March 31, 2021.
If New Zealand repeats the 2-0 result against Pakistan, it will finish with 420 points in five series.
This would force India to get five wins, or four wins and three draws, in their last eight Tests (against Australia and England) to prevent New Zealand from reaching the WTC final.
Due to the current situation, the ICC adjusted the classification criteria, shifting from absolute points to a percentage of points played.
Australia currently leads the WTC table with 82.2% of the points won. A 2-2 draw against India would keep them at the top with 74.17%, while a 1-2 defeat would reduce their percentage to 70%.
If New Zealand wins both Tests against Pakistan, it will finish with 84 points per series played, or 70% of the points at stake.
India, with 360 points in four series, will need to surpass 504 points to overtake New Zealand. Each remaining victory will be worth 30 points and each draw, 10.
Regarding the ranking, Australia could consolidate its lead or concede ground to New Zealand, depending on the results of the India and New Zealand series.
