Sri Lanka recorded a historic test match win against England, winning on English soil in over a decade. The Lankan Lions successfully chased down 219 in the second innings to get a consolation win in the 3-match series. Pathum Nissanka starred in the show, scoring 127 off just 124 balls to take his side over the line.
The win was also significant in terms of Sri Lanka’s ambitions to reach the final of the ongoing World Test Championship. Despite England winning the series 2-1, Sri Lanka’s triumph at The Oval lifted them above England in the ICC World Test Championship standings. With three wins in seven Tests, Sri Lanka holds a points percentage of 42.857%, while England, despite eight victories in 16 matches, trails slightly with 42.187%.
In the brief history of the ICC WTC, a PTC of close to 60 generally ends up as a cutoff between the finalists and the rest of the teams. England’s defeat against Sri Lanka means that they can no longer breach the 60 PCT mark and the best they can achieve is 57.95.
How is the WTC points table shaping up?
India continues to lead the standings with a strong points percentage of 68.52, though they still have 10 matches remaining, the most of any team. They qualified for the WTC final with a PCT of 59 and in order to keep their PCT close to 60 this season, they need 5 wins and a draw from their remaining 10 matches.
Australia holds the second place with a PCT of 62.50. The Kangaroos have 7 tests remaining (5 home to India and 2 away to Sri Lanka) and need to score 47 points to keep themselves on the right side of PCT 60.
New Zealand completed the top 3 with 50 PCT. They have played only 6 out of their 14 matches this season and need at least 65 points out of the available 95 to finish on the right side of PCT 60. However, the task is easier said than done as the Kiwis will play 5 out of their remaining 8 matches in Asia.
The only surprise name in the top 4 of WTC standing is Bangladesh. Like the Kiwis, Bangla Tigers have also played 6 out of their 14 matches and have a PCT of 45.83. While a series win against Pakistan enhanced their chances of a top-2 finish, they still have a lot of work to do given that their 3 upcoming series are against India, South Africa, and West Indies.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
