The race for the top two spots in the ICC World Test Championship is heating up as India and New Zealand have registered wins to topple rival Australia who occupy the top spot. Incidentally, the top two teams on the table will contest the final next year in England at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Meanwhile, India have managed to retain their second spot with their historic eight-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Coming from a humiliating defeat in the first Test and then losing a couple of important players, India under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane did the unimaginable with their skipper leading the group from the front.
India retain 2nd spot in World Test Championship points table
While India continue to have the most points, they stay behind Australia on percentage points, which will eventually decide the positions on the table. India bagged 30 points for their eight-wicket win and now have 390 points and a 72.2 percentage of points (PCT).
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On the other hand, Australia have 322 points with a 76.6 PCT, which was a result of a penalty they faced due to maintaining slow over-rate in the Boxing Day Test. New Zealand consolidated their third spot with a 101-run win over Pakistan in the first Test on Wednesday. The Black Caps earned 60 points for the win and now have a PCT of 66.7.
New Zealand keep themselves in contention of making it to the final of the ICC World Test Championship 🙌
The #WTC21 standings table after the first #NZvPAK Test 👇 pic.twitter.com/IZnHHIPT0S
— ICC (@ICC) December 30, 2020
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Meanwhile, England and Pakistan are the other two teams to complete the top five while West Indies and Bangladesh occupy the last two spots in the points table. South Africa and Sri Lanka sit on the sixth and the seventh spot.
The top two sides at the end of the league on percentage points will play the final. Each series of the league is worth 120 points, distributed evenly over the number of matches in a series, ranging from 60 in two-Test series to 24 for a five-Test series. Although India leads on the number of points, the ICC last month altered the points system for the World Test Championship owing to the disruption of international cricket due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The factor that determines the final placing is now percentage points.
