New Zealand, who scripted a historic Test series win over India, have been flattened by England. The Ben Stokes-led side have dominated the proceedings in Christchurch and have gained a 1-0 lead in their three-game Test series against the Kiwis. With this, they have made the World Test Championship (WTC) points table 2023-25 interesting.
England have already been eliminated from the race to the WTC Final. However, they can spoil New Zealand’s party. Their 8-wicket win on Sunday was built on a ten-wicket match-haul by Brydon Carse. Meanwhile, Harry Brook scored a magnificent century (171) in the first innings.
ENG impact on NZ’s WTC Final qualification
England have severely impacted New Zealand’s case now. New Zealand had a 54.55 point percentage prior to this match. Now, they are at 50.00. Incredibly, if England also win the remaining two matches, New Zealand will drop to sixth on the WTC points table. England, meanwhile, are already out even if they whitewash the Kiwis. However, it is a good news for India. Team India are already battling for a WTC final spot against Australia and South Africa. Now, they would be happy that New Zealand’s chances have taken a hit.
Updated WTC points table 2023-25 after NZ vs ENG 1st Test
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Ded | Points | Pct |
| 1 | India | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 110 | 61.11 |
| 2 | South Africa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 59.26 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 90 | 57.69 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 50.00 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 50 |
| 6 | England | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 105 | 43.75 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | West Indies | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 26.67 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 25 |
India’s chances to qualify for WTC 2025 final
If India wins the five-match Test series against Australia by a margin of 4-0 or 5-0, Rohit Sharma’s team would have a percentage point above 65%. India have strong challenge from South Africa; if they win all the matches, India will find it difficult to qualify. India, on their part, have to win all matches against Australia.
India’s remaining matches
- India vs Australia- December 6-10, Adelaide
- India vs Australia – December 14-18, Brisbane
- India vs Australia – December 26-30, Melbourne
- India vs Australia – January 03 – 07, Sydney
Australia remaining matches
- India vs Australia- December 6-10, Adelaide
- India vs Australia – December 14-18, Brisbane
- India vs Australia – December 26-30, Melbourne
- India vs Australia – January 03 – 07, Sydney
South Africa remaining matches
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka – December 05-09, Gqeberha
- South Africa vs Pakistan – December 26-30, Centurion
- South Africa vs Pakistan – January 03-07, Cape Town
New Zealand’s remaining matches
- New Zealand vs England – December 6-10, Wellington
- New Zealand vs England – December 14-18, Hamilton
