How can India qualify for ICC World Test Championship Final after the defeat in IND vs ENG 2022 Test?
India suffered their fourth defeat in the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship cycle earlier today at Edgbaston. England successfully chased a massive target of 378 runs to hand the visitors a seven-wicket loss.
To add salt to India's wounds, they were docked two points for slow over-rate in the match against England. Courtesy of the deduction, the Rohit Sharma-led outfit have dropped below arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship points table.
India have dropped to 4th place in the World Test Championship points table as they were penalised for slow over-rate in the Edgbaston Test ⏬🇮🇳
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Even though India have slipped to fourth position in the standings, they are still alive in the race to the WTC Final.
Before diving deep into the calculations, here's how the WTC points work:
Points for each match in WTC 2021-23 (ESPNcricinfo) :-
Win = 12 points
Draw = 4 points
Tie = 6 points
The WTC Cycle 2021-23 is set to start with India - England 5 match Test series in August, with the WTC Final being played in June 2023.
First and foremost, India must win their remaining six matches in this WTC cycle. The Indian team will play two Tests against Bangladesh away from home and four Tests against Australia at home in the coming months.
Both series' schedules are yet to be released, but they will likely happen after the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. If India win the six Test matches without any over-rate issues, they will gain 72 points, taking their points percentage to 68.05 (147 out of 216 points).
Only Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan can stop India from qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final
Assuming that India finish with 68.05% on the ICC World Test Championship points table, the following calculation should be how the other teams finish with less than 68.05%.
Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan are the three teams that can finish with more than 68.05% points. So here's a breakdown of how many matches they need to lose for India to finish above them.
Australia need to lose at least four matches and draw one game to finish below India
How Australia can finish with 68% points https://t.co/M7Ph4HZ4Vo
Australia's remaining matches in this WTC cycle: one vs Sri Lanka (away), two vs West Indies (home), three vs South Africa (home), and four vs India (away).
For Australia to finish with 68%, they need to grab a maximum of 71 points from their remaining ten matches. Even if Australia lose to India by 0-4, they can finish above the Indian side by winning their remaining games.
For India to finish above the Aussies, the Pat Cummins-led outfit must lose at least four matches and settle for a draw in one of their remaining six matches.
South Africa need to lose three matches or settle for a draw in five of their matches
How South Africa can finish with 68% points https://t.co/XYDKOpglu0
South Africa's remaining matches in this WTC cycle: three vs England (away), two vs West Indies (home), and three vs Australia (away).
For South Africa to finish with 68%, they need to gain a maximum of 62 points from their remaining eight matches. If they win five out of their eight games and lose the other three, they will finish below India.
However, if they win six of those matches or win four and draw the remaining four matches, they will have more than 68% points to their name. So, either three losses or five draws are needed.
Pakistan need to win a maximum of five of their seven remaining matches
How Pakistan can finish with 68% https://t.co/3Cc4tX4RPV
Pakistan's remaining matches in this WTC cycle: three vs England (home), two vs New Zealand (home), and two vs Sri Lanka (away).
Pakistan have seven matches left in this ICC World Test Championship cycle. They will finish with more than 68% points if they win six of those games. However, if they win five and settle for a draw in their remaining two fixtures, they will have less than 68% points.
It will be exciting to see which teams qualify for the ICC World Test Championship Final. Fans should note that West Indies and England will not finish with 68% points even if they win their remaining matches.