The race to reach the final of the 2025 World Test Championship is almost over with four teams left in the race.
Australia, India and South Africa are the favourites, although Sri Lanka still have slim hopes of reaching Lord’s next June, while England are out of contention due to too many defeats and overrated indiscretions over the two-year cycle.
What does each side need?
South Africa
Remaining matches = two at home against Pakistan
A sweep of their two-match home series against Sri Lanka has put the Proteas in the driving seat for the final. As long as they win at least one of their two home tests against Pakistan, they will qualify.
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins celebrate Australia’s victory over India in the day-night Test
Australia
Remaining matches = two at home against India; two in Sri Lanka
Reigning champions Australia will reach their second consecutive World Test Championship final if they win their final two Tests against India, in Melbourne and Sydney.
If that series, which is currently locked at 1-1 after three games, ends 2-2, then the Baggy Greens will need to win one of their two matches against Sri Lanka in early 2025.
India
Remaining matches = two in Australia
India need to win their last two Tests against Australia to guarantee their place at Lord’s. A 2-2 draw would leave them dependent on Sri Lanka winning their home series against Australia in January.
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Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss whether India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is the best player in the world across all formats of the game.
Sri Lanka
Remaining matches = two at home against Australia
While Sri Lanka were more competitive in the second Test loss to South Africa, losing by 109 runs, that result, along with their embarrassing loss in the series opener in Durban: a game in which they scored their lowest test score of 42 – means that they are practically out of competition.
They simply have to sweep Australia in their two-Test series and get plenty of favors along the way. It doesn’t look good…
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Sri Lanka suffered 42 bowling in 14 overs during their loss to South Africa in the first Test in Durban.
How does the points system work?
Each of the nine teams (Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies) play six series (three home and three away).
Since teams do not play the same number of games, the table is determined by the percentage of points won: the 12 points awarded for a win give you 100 percent, the six for a draw 50 percent, and the four for a 33.3 tie. percent.
If you lose a game, you’re left with nothing.
Ben Stokes’ England are out of the race to reach the World Test Championship final
Teams can lose points for overrating violations, as England and Australia did during The 2023 Ashes and, more recently, the series-opening Test against New Zealand.
England were deducted a whopping 19 points in total for slow overs in the first, second, fourth and fifth Ashes Tests last year, while their Christchurch indiscretion cost them three more, taking their total to a staggering number of 22 in total.
