Pakistan consolidate top position in WTC standings: Decoding the table
Pakistan have consolidated their position atop the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship standings with a 2-0 clean sweep against hosts Sri Lanka. Babar Azam's men won the second Test by an innings and 222 runs, their biggest win in an away Test. Meanwhile, SL continue to reel at the last position. Here we decode the latest WTC standings.
How did the match pan out?
Batting first, SL were bowled out for 166 in the first innings. While Dhananjaya de Silva scored a half-century, Abrar Ahmed scalped four wickets. In response, Pakistan declared for a mammoth 576/5, with Abdullah Shafique and Agha Salman smoking tons. SL, who had the daunting task of minimizing the 410-run deficit, perished for 188 on Day 4. Noman Ali claimed seven wickets.
Pakistan advance to 24 points
Earlier this month, Pakistan claimed a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle to end their year-long drought in Tests. With a win in the second Test, they have raced to 24 points with their points percentage being 100. As mentioned, the Lankans are tottering at the last place in the nine-team standings with zero points.
India at the second place
India beat West Indies 1-0 in the recently-concluded Test series. With an innings win in the opener, India collected their first points of the cycle. The rain-curtailed second Test was drawn and both teams were awarded four points each. India with 16 points and a PCT of 66.67% are second in the standings. WI hold the fifth place with four points (PCT: 16.67%).
What about England and Australia?
Like the 2nd WI-India Test, the 4th Ashes 2023 Test was also drawn. Hence, both sides earned four points apiece. Australia are now 2-1 up with the final game being underway. Having played four matches, fourth-placed England own 14 points along with a PCT of 29.17%. On the other hand, the reigning WTC Champions, Australia hold the third spot with 26 points (PCT: 54.17).
The format of ICC WTC
As has been the case, the ICC WTC standings are determined by the percentage of points earned. There are 12 points available for each win in the WTC. Four points are awarded to each team for a draw, with the teams earning six for a tie. A loss leads to no point deduction, while teams can lose points for slow over-rates.
