Explained: How India Can Still Qualify For World Test Championship (WTC) Final

South Africa’s recent loss to England in the Test series 1-2 has made the race to ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 even more interesting. 6 teams out of 9 are active in the race to reach the final. India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Pakistan are still eligible to fix a berth in the final of ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.

New Zealand, who won the previous edition of World Test Championship, cannot qualify for final this time. After South Africa’s series defeat to England, Australia takes the top spot in the points table with a PCT of 70.0. South Africa takes the 2nd spot with a PCT of 60.0. Sri Lanka and India, who grab the 3rd and 4th spot, own a PCT of 53.33 and a PCT of 52.08. Pakistan and the West Indies, with a PCT of 51.85 and 50.0, hold the 5th and 6th spots respectively.

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How India Can Still Qualify For World Test Championship (WTC) Final

India: PCT- 52.08

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India is set to play two more Test series in ICC World Test Championship. They are a two-match Test series against Bangladesh and a four-match Test series against Australia. If India manages to win all 6 Test matches, they have a high chance of qualifying for ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 final.

If India defeats Australia in 4 games and defeats Bangladesh in 2 games as well, their PCT will jump to 68.06. Australia’s PCT will be affected by losses to India and then India will have to a good chance to finish 1st or 2nd in the points table.

Australia: PCT- 70.0

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Australia is currently no.1 in the points table and is scheduled to play 9 more Tests- a two-match home series against West Indies, three-match home series against South Africa, and a four-match away series against India.

If Australia manages to win 6 of the upcoming 9 games, they will reach PCT 68.42 which would be enough to book a berth in the final. If Australia loses all 4 games against India but wins the other 5, their PCT will drop to 63.16 and India can surpass them in the points table.

South Africa: PCT- 60.0

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Talking about South Africa, they are set to play three-away Tests against Australia and two home Tests against West Indies. Even if South Africa manages to win four of their five remaining Tests, their win percentage will reach 66.67 which not be sufficient to grab a spot in the final.

India and Pakistan can manage to surpass them in the points table. Although South Africa might be the favourites to win home Tests against West Indies, defeating Australia in Australia in three Tests will be a tough task for them.

Pakistan: PCT- 51.85

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Pakistan is set to face England in 3 home Tests and 2 home Tests against New Zealand. Currently, they have a PCT of 51.85. If they win all their 5 matches, they will have a PCT of 69.05. If they win 4 games out of 5, they will have a PCT of 61.90 which could also prove to be enough if other teams lost their games. However, Pakistan will have a tough task defeating England on English soil.

Sri Lanka: PCT- 53.33

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Sri Lanka currently takes the 3rd spot in World Test Championship points table with a PCT of 53.33. They are scheduled to play two Test matches against New Zealand. Even if Sri Lanka wins both matches against New Zealand, their PCT will only reach 61.11 which might not be enough to grab the top two spots. Moreover, New Zealand are well known for its dominance on home soil and outplaying them at their home will be a difficult task for Sri Lanka.

West Indies: PCT- 50.0

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West Indies might not be a powerful Test side currently, however, they still have a chance to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. West Indies currently has 50% PCT and is bound to play two away Tests against Australia and two away Tests against South Africa.

If they manage to win all 4 games, they can reach a PCT of 65.38 which can allot them a spot in the final. However, the disadvantage for West Indies is that they have to play all of their upcoming 4 games at overseas venues.

England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh

England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh are out of the race to the final of ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. However, they have the power to affect other teams’ journeys to the final and twist the probability of the finalists. Bangladesh will play two games against India while England will play three matches against Pakistan. New Zealand will face both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in two Tests.

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