ICC World Test Championship points table (updated) as on 23rd December 2019
After a horrifying start to their ICC World Test Championship campaign, Pakistan registered their first series victory of the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka 1-0 at home. The first Test match had ended in a draw but Azhar Ali's men crushed the Lankans by 263 runs in the second match.
The home team had struggled against Sri Lanka in the first innings as they lost all their wickets for 191 runs. Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam scored a fifty each. However, Lahiru Kumara's fine spell ensured that Sri Lanka gained the upper hand. Dinesh Chandimal's 74-run knock guided Sri Lanka to 271 in their first innings.
Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas shared 9 wickets between themselves but the home side conceded a first innings lead of 80 runs. It seemed like Pakistan had no chance of winning the game after the first innings.
However, the quartet of Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam scored a century each to inspire Pakistan to a score of 555 runs in the second innings. They batted for 131 overs and lost only 3 wickets before Azhar declared the innings.
Chasing a mammoth target of 476 runs, Sri Lanka lost half of their side before crossing the 100 runs mark. Oshada Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella tried their best to save the day for the Lankan Lions but ultimately, Pakistan cleaned them up for 212 runs. Naseem Shah was the wrecker-in-chief for Pakistan with 5/31 in 12.5 overs.
Here's a look at the updated points table of ICC World Test Championship after the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan has jumped to third on the table as they earned 60 points with this victory. They have the same number of points as fourth-placed Sri Lanka. New Zealand and England are stuck in the middle of the table.
Also Read - ICC World Test Championship Schedule 2019-21: Full Time Table and Fixtures for all teams
India and Australia hold the top two positions while West Indies, Bangladesh and South Africa are yet to open their account on the standings.