The World Test Championship (WTC) games are set to come in thick and fast with the finalists of the previous cycle, India and Australia acquiring the top positions at the moment. However, the two sides will be facing each other in a five-match Test series starting November.
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This gives a chance to other teams to fight for a place in the final at the expense of either one of India and Australia or both.
Although there is a chance to outdo either of the two, it’s going to be a herculean task for the remaining seven teams to challenge from the top two spots.
The Sporting News takes a look at the qualification scenario for all the nine teams if they are to qualify for the final of the WTC 2023-25 cycle.
| Pos. | Team | M | W | L | D | Pts. | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 98 | 74.24 |
| 2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 62.50 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 55.56 |
| 4 | England | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 93 | 43.05 |
| 5 | South Africa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 38.89 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 37.50 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 34.38 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 22.22 |
| 9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 18.52 |
The current qualification cutoff for top ranked teams i.e. India and Australia is 58% points. Other teams will be required to reach 60% points to get ahead of either India or Australia. With games coming up thick and fast, let’s take a look at the qualification chances of all the nine teams in the table, in detail.
Table toppers India are currently in the pole position and are set for a third straight WTC Final. A recent 4-1 series win against Ben Stokes’ England at home and 2-0 win against Bangladesh has left the Men in Blue requiring just three wins out of the remaining eight games in order to confirm their spot in the final.
They will next play 3 Tests at Home against New Zealand, followed by a 5-match away Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
Although the Men in Blue are a dominant force in the WTC, they are yet to win the trophy, having lost in both the previous finals against New Zealand and Australia.
Wins required from 8 matches: 3
Chance of Qualification – 90%
READ MORE: When does the Border-Gavaskar trophy start? Full schedule for the Aus vs Ind Test series
Current WTC champions, Australia are currently second in the standings after India and need to do a considerable job in order to confirm their place in the final. The six-time world champions have seven games remaining in their campaign and will need to win at least four to book their final spot.
Despite a challenging task at bay, they are still better off than the remaining teams in the standings.
Wins required from 7 matches: 4
Chance of Qualification – 70%
READ MORE: Cummins takes 8-week break, eyes Border-Gavaskar trophy
Sri Lanka have played nine games in the WTC 2023-25 cycle so far. The Lankan Lions so far have won five and lost four games. After Sri losing the three-match series 1-2 against England, they won the two-match home series against New Zealand with 2-0.
Sri Lanka have four games remaining in the tournament so far and will have to secure victory in at least three games if they are to play the final.
Wins required from 4 matches: 3
Chances of Qualification – 35%
READ MORE: Australia are hungry to win back the Border-Gavaskar trophy from India, says Nathan Lyon
England by far have played the games compared to any of the other teams in the current WTC cycle. Ben Stokes’ side have played 18 games so far, winning nine and losing eight. They recently secured a 2-1 victory in a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home.
Before the second Test at Multan after a huge win in the first they had five more games remaining in the cycle, and due to their horrible start to their campaign, they had a monumental task of winning all five games in order to make a case for the final.
However, with a 152-run loss in Multan, their chances of qualifying for the WTC final are numerically zero. Winning all four remaining matches, one against Pakistan in Rawalpindi and 3 away in New Zealand won’t be enough.
Wins required from 4 matches: 4
Chances of Qualification – 0%
MORE: WTC 2024/25 Updated Points table
The Proteas had a great start to their WTC campaign, winning the first game against India by an innings and 32 runs. However, they proceeded to lose three games on the trot, putting their maiden WTC final qualification chances at risk.
They drew the Test series against India at home and then went on to lose the away series against New Zealand 2-0. They currently have six games remaining to play and will have to win five games to qualify for the final
Wins required from 6 matches: 5
Chances of Qualification – 25%
The Black Caps have won three and lost five games in the competition with six games remaining.
They faced another defeat against Sri Lanka in the second Test, which has further impacted their standing. With this loss, they have dropped to seventh place in the competition.
With just six games left, winning all of them is the only way for them to secure a spot in the final. This would elevate their percentage to 64.
Wins required from 6 matches: 6
Chance of Qualification – 10%
Bottom and ninth-placed team Pakistan have played nine games in the ongoing WTC cycle so far. They have won three and lost six. Their recent series loss (3-0) came against Australia, a 2-0 whitewash loss at home to Bangladesh, and the Multan Test loss has caused a huge setback to their chances. However, a massive, 152-run win in the second Test of the series against England would reignite the fire in the team and a late return to contention can’t be ruled out.
Their qualification for the WTC 2025 final is tough, considering that they will play South Africa away from home.
Wins required from 5 matches: 5
Chances of Qualification – 0%
READ MORE: Have Pakistan ever been whitewashed at home in a Test series?
Bangladesh are currently ranked sixth in the table, after jumping two spots higher after beating Pakistan 2-0 in the Away Tests series.
However, it has not changed their fate as they had earlier lost 0-2 to Sri Lanka, 0-2 to India and face a tough challenge against South Africa next.
Bangladesh have only a negligible chance to make it to the WTC 2025 final, needing five wins out of the four remaining matches, which rules them out mathematically.
Wins required from 4 matches: 4
Chances of Qualification – 0%
West Indies are currently placed at the bottom of the table with just a single win in seven games in the WTC. Their recent 3-0 drubbing against England away has put them out of contention to qualify for the final. Even if they manage to win all of their remaining 4 games in the campaign, they would still be far off from qualifying.
Wins required from 4 matches: 4
Chances of Qualification – 0%
