A series between Sri Lanka and Australia will determine the fate of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. Scheduled from January 29 to February 10, the 2-match series would hold the future of multiple teams and their chances of reaching the WTC 2025 Final. Right now, mathematically, all the top five teams in the standings have a realistic chance to finish in the top two spots.
Including the ongoing 3rd Test between India and New Zealand, 20 Tests remain to decide the finalists. The two teams who’ll play the last series, Sri Lanka and Australia, have to play 4 and 7 matches, respectively.
WTC 2023-25 Points Table (as of November 1)
Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points Deducted | Points | Point % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 98 | 62.82 |
Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 90 | 62.50 |
Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
South Africa | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 54.17 |
New Zealand | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 50.00 |
England | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 93 | 40.79 |
Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 33.33 |
Bangladesh | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 27.50 |
West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 18.52 |
Australia & Sri Lanka’s WTC 2025 Final qualification chances
Ranked 2nd, Pat Cummins Australia have a good enough chance of making a second consecutive WTC Final. They first play India at home and then will travel to Sri Lanka. If they win 4-0 to 5-0 against India, they can easily qualify for the final, even if they lose 2-0 to Sri Lanka.
For Dhananjaya de Silva’s Lions, playing just four matches bodes well. They first face South Africa away from home in a 2-match series. If that tour ends with a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, Sri Lanka will have to win 2-0 against Australia to reach the WTC Final. But, if they win 1-0 or 2-0 against the Proteas, they’ll need to win just one match against Australia to reach their maiden final.
Sri Lanka vs Australia Test series schedule
Test | Date | Venue |
---|---|---|
1st | January 29-Febraury 2 | Galle International Cricket Stadium |
2nd | February 6-10 | Galle International Cricket Stadium |