England moves  to 4th in Test Rankings, displacing Sri Lanka

UK (Commonwealth) _The opening Test of the three-match series at Old Trafford on Saturday saw England defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets, propelling them up to fourth place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 cycle.

With the five wicket win, England’s point percentage (PCT) increased to 41.1, marking their sixth victory in 14 Test matches this cycle. The Lankans dropped from 50 to 40 PCT and lost their third loss in five games. With a 50 PCT, New Zealand is now ranked third.

There are still eight Test matches between England and Sri Lanka left in this cycle. Right now, India and Australia, the reigning champions, are leading with PCTs of 68.5 and 62.5, respectively. In their current two-match series in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who are rated seventh and eighth, respectively, have the opportunity to move up the rankings.

Eight teams are still in the running for the 14 Test series that are still in the WTC 2023–25 cycle as on August 25, 2024. West Indies are out of the running for the WTC final at Lord’s the following year, with just four Test matches remaining and a PCT of 20.

The international Test cricket competition is known as the ICC World Test competition, or Test World Cup. The International Cricket Council (ICC) oversees this league tournament, which had its first season in 2019.According to the ICC’s objective of hosting a premier event for each of the three international cricket formats, it is the top Test cricket championship. Australia is the reigning champions, having won the 2023 championship match against India. India participated in both WTC finals and came in second place each time.

The revised WTC 2023–25 points table standings and the remaining matches.

How points are given:

• For a win 12 points
• For a tie 6 points
• For a draw 4 points
• According to the percentage of points won Teams are ranked.
• The Top two teams move to the final at Lord’s in 2025.
• Points are decreased for slow over rates

World Test Championship 2023-25 remaining matches

Pakistan v Bangladesh

21-25 August, 2024: 1st Test match, Rawalpindi

30 August – 3 September 2024: 2nd Test match, Rawalpindi

England v Sri Lanka

August 29 – 2 September 2024: 2nd Test, at Lord’s – London

September 6-10  2024: 3rd Test, at Oval – London

Sri Lanka v New Zealand

18-22 September, 2024: 1st Test, Galle

26-30 September, 2024: 2nd Test, Galle

India v Bangladesh

19-23 September, 2024: 1st Test, Chennai

September 27 – October 1, 2024: 2nd Test, at Kanpur

Pakistan v England

7-11 October, 2024: 1st Test, Multan

15-19 October, 2024: 2nd Test, Karachi

24-28 October, 2024: 3rd Test, Rawalpindi

India v New Zealand

16-20 October, 2024: 1st Test, Bengaluru

24-28 October, 2024: 2nd Test, Pune

1-5 November, 2024: 3rd Test, Mumbai

Bangladesh v South Africa

October-November, 2024: Two Tests

Border Gavaskar Trophy – Australia v India

22-26 November, 2024: 1st Test, Perth

6-10 December, 2024: 2nd Test, Adelaide

14-18 December, 2024: 3rd Test, Brisbane

26-30 Decemeber, 2024: 4th Test, Melbourne

January 3-7, 2024: 5th Test, Sydney

West Indies v Bangladesh

22-26 November 22-26, 2024: 1st Test, North Sound

November 30 – 4 December 2024: 2nd Test, at Kingsto

South Africa v Sri Lanka

November 27 – 1 December, 2024: 1st Test, Durban

December 5-9, 2024: 2nd Test, Gqeberha

New Zealand v England

November 28 – 2 December, 2024: 1st Test, at Christchurch

6-10 December, 2024: 2nd Test, Wellington

14-18 December, 2024: 3rd Test, Hamilton

South Africa v Pakistan

26-30 December, 2024: 1st Test, Centurion

3-7 January, 2025: 2nd Test, Cape Town

Pakistan v West Indies

16-20 January, 2025: Karachi

24-28 January, 2025: Multan

Warne-Muralitharan Trophy (Sri Lanka v Australia)

January-February 2025: Two Tests

World Test Championship 2023-25 Final

June 2025: TBD v TBD – Lord’s