New Zealand close to the World Test Championship final
The recent victory of New Zealand over the West Indies puts them in a favorable position to reach the final of the World Test 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, placing just 0.086 points behind Australia after their victory in Wellington.
The situation generated some initial confusion, as the ICC’s predictive tool showed New Zealand at the top for several hours after the match. However, the ICC clarified in a tweet that Australia leads with 116.461 points, while New Zealand has 116.375.
Australia could consolidate its advantage if it wins the home series against India. With two wins over the West Indies, New Zealand accumulated 300 WTC points in 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 in five series.
This would mean that India would need five wins, or four wins and three draws, in their last eight Tests (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 had to modify the classification criteria, shifting from absolute points to a percentage of points disputed, or 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%.
If New Zealand wins its two Tests 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 wins will now be worth 30 points, and draws will give them 10 points. Five wins or four wins and three draws will take them ahead of New Zealand.
As for the rankings, depending on how the India vs. Australia and New Zealand vs. Pakistan series go, Australia could increase its lead at number 1 or cede ground to New Zealand.
