Who can reach World Test Championship final? Australia, India and South Africa frontrunners to make Lord's in 2025
World Test Championship final to be held at Lord's from June 11; defending champions Australia, India and South Africa the frontrunners with Sri Lanka retaining slim chance; England's hopes of reaching 2025 showpiece ended by defeats and over-rate violations
Wednesday 18 December 2024 10:11, UK
The race to reach the 2025 World Test Championship Final is almost over with four sides left in the running.
Australia, India and South Africa are the frontrunners, although Sri Lanka still retain slender hopes of making it to Lord's next June, while England are out of contention due to too many defeats and over-rate indiscretions across the two-year cycle.
What does each side need?
South Africa
Remaining matches = two at home to Pakistan
A sweep of their two-match series at home to Sri Lanka has put the Proteas in the driving seat for the final. As long they win at least one of their two Tests at home to Pakistan, they will qualify.
Australia
Remaining matches = two at home to India; two in Sri Lanka
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Reigning champions Australia will reach their second-straight World Test Championship final if they win their final two Tests against India, in Melbourne and Sydney.
If that series - which is currently locked at 1-1 after three games - ends 2-2, then the Baggy Greens will need to win one of their two matches versus Sri Lanka in early 2025.
India
Remaining matches = two in Australia
India need to win their final two Tests against Australia to guarantee their spot at Lord's. A 2-2 draw would leave them relying on Sri Lanka winning their series at home to Australia in January.
Sri Lanka
Remaining matches = two at home to Australia
While Sri Lanka were more competitive in defeat in the second Test to South Africa, going down by 109 runs, that result, coupled with their embarrassing loss in the series-opener in Durban - a game in which they were rolled for their lowest Test score of 42 - means they are all but out of contention.
They simply must sweep Australia in their two-Test series and get a whole heap of favours along the way. It's not looking good...
How does the points system work?
Each of the nine sides - Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies - play six series (three at home and three away).
With the teams not playing an equal number of matches, the table is determined by percentage of points won, with the 12 points awarded for a win getting you 100 per cent, the six for a tie 50 per cent and the four for a draw 33.3 per cent.
If you lose a game, you leave with nothing.
Teams can lose points for over-rate infringements, as England and Australia did during The 2023 Ashes and, most recently, the series-opening Test against New Zealand.
England were deducted a whopping 19 points in total for slow over-rates in the first, second, fourth and fifth Tests of last year's Ashes, while their indiscretion in Christchurch cost them a further three - taking their total to a staggering 22 overall.
