By: Syed Athar Abbas (Athar G) TN Sports News:
Teams from Sri Lanka and South Africa also participated in the race. They also have a good record at their home ground, which will make it difficult for them to face Sri Lanka
Australia and India are strong contenders for the final.
The drawn Test between Australia and South Africa in Sydney gave Australia a two-nil win in the series and also brought them closer to the finals of the ICC World Test Championship. It has reached the seventh position on the table. Before the home series against England last year, the Pakistan team was among the top three teams in the ICC World Test Championship table, but after a whitewash by Ben Stokes’ XI and a series draw against New Zealand, the green shirts are now only Bangladesh and defence. The champion is above New Zealand.
Pakistan cricket team has no more Test matches in this World Test Championship cycle. Therefore, at one time the contending team for the final will have to settle for one of the last three positions of the championship table. At present, if we look at the championship table, after winning 10 out of 15 Test matches, the Australian team is at the top with 136 points and a win ratio of 75.56. Having won eight out of 14 matches, the Indian team is second with 99 points and a win ratio of 58.93.
Position on the championship table is decided by win ratio rather than points. That is why, after the series defeat against Australia, the South African team is in the fourth position despite having 76 points only because its winning ratio has become 48.72. Having won five out of ten matches, the Sri Lankan team has 64 points and a win ratio of 53.33. Due to this, she has managed to make it to the top three.
By the way, the English team has also won 10 matches equal to Australia. But he has played the most 22 matches. Due to this his win ratio is 46 decimal nines and his position is fifth. The final of the World Test Championship will be between which teams? It is too early to say, but currently, the teams of Australia and India are at the forefront of this race.
If India makes it to the final of the World Test Championship, it will become the first team to do so twice in a row. But to do so, he will need to perform well in the four-match Test series against Australia starting next month. The Indian team will qualify for the finals only by winning at least two matches in this series. Otherwise, Australia may face Sri Lanka or South Africa in the final.
The Australian team will travel to India next month to play the final series of the World Test Championship cycle. Even if India beat him in all four matches, Pat Cummins’ team’s win percentage will drop to a little below 60 per cent. If India whitewashes Australia, the home team’s win percentage will go up to 68% and will take the first position in the World Test Championship table. Even if the visiting team draws two of the four matches, even then His winning ratio will be more than 63 percent. Which would be enough to book him a ticket to the finals.
A win in three of the four matches in the series would take India’s win percentage above 60 percent, which would see them qualify for the finals without the help of other teams. India will have to beat Australia in three matches to make it to the finals unaided, but failing that, the Indian team will have to keep an eye on Sri Lanka’s performance in New Zealand.
If Sri Lanka wins two matches against the Kiwis in New Zealand in the month of March, India may face trouble. By the way, the New Zealand team is the defending champion of the World Test Championship but is ranked eighth in the championship table. But a series win will not benefit the Kiwi team. On the contrary, if Sri Lanka performs well in this series, its position will be strong enough to challenge India to reach the final.
South Africa’s next series is against the West Indies at the end of February. Which is currently in the sixth position in the championship table. Success in this series played in South Africa may not take West Indies to the final, but if the host team wins this series, its win ratio will improve. If the results of the matches between Australia and India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand go South Africa’s way, there is no doubt that the Proteas can also pose a threat to other teams.
Some cricket observers are lamenting that the Pakistan team is currently at the bottom of the Championship table instead of at the top. Pakistani fans will once again watch the final of the second World Test Championship as spectators in the final to be played in England in June.