The race for securing a place in the World Test Championship won’t be easy for the teams. While India is in a very tough position in fourth place, needing to win all the games to get into the finale.
On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave its opinion about each team wanting to secure a place in the WTC finale. In this article, let’s have a look at the scenarios in which the teams can qualify for the finale.
World Test Championship race explained: Possibility of each team qualifying for the WTC Finals
1. South Africa
South Africa has 71.43 percent of possible points. Their remaining series will be against England (away, three Tests), West Indies (home, two Tests), and Australia (away, three Tests). The Proteas must win at least three of their remaining five games. The Proteas have performed well during the current cycle, particularly in 2021 when they defeated Bangladesh 2-0, drew 1-1 in New Zealand, and overcame India 2-1 at home.
2. Australia
Australia has 70 percent possible points to qualify. Their remaining games are against West Indies (home, two Tests), South Africa (home, three Tests), India (away, four Tests). The Pat Cummins-led team has to win at least three of its last seven games. It may also be sufficient to have two victories and a tie in order to secure one of the seats for the WTC final.
3. Sri Lanka
Being in the third position, Sri Lanka has 53.33 possible points. Before the WTC finals, they’ll play two tests against New Zealand in the away format. . A 2-0 victory in New Zealand can put the islands in the race to the finale.
4. India
The men in blue have 52.08 per cent of possible points. For the Indian squad to remain in the running for a top-two slot in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, they will need to win all six of their Test matches, which include two in Bangladesh and four against Australia at home.
5. Pakistan
The men in green have 51.58 percent of the possible points. They will be playing against England (home, three Tests), and New Zealand (home, two Tests). If Pakistan wins all of those remaining games, their percentage will rise to 69.05, which may be enough to earn them a spot in the first World Test Championship final. They have already lost the test against England, so they’re in a difficult place now.
6. West Indies
This team has 50 percent of the possible points. They will be playing the remaining series against South Africa (away, two Tests), and Australia (away, two Tests). The West Indies can end with 65.38 percent but would need to win all four games in an away format to get a spot in the WTC23 championship game.
7. England
England has 33.33 percent of possible points. Their three remaining games will be against South Africa at home and three Tests away in Pakistan. With England beating Pakistan in the test series, they have already strengthened their position to qualify for the finals.
8. New Zealand
The Black Caps have 25.93 possible points. They will be playing two away-from-home series against Pakistan and two Tests at home against Sri Lanka. They will have to end with a percentage of 48.72 to get features in the next year’s final, by winning the remaining games.
9. Bangladesh
The Bengal tiger’s possible points are 13.33 percent. They have one Test left at home against India. They are already out of the race as they haven’t won a single test match.
Read more: How can India still qualify for the World Test Championship finals?
