The intrigue around the finalists of the World Test Championship has only gotten deeper with recent results across the globe throwing a wrench in every team’s plans.
Seven teams are still in contention for the two spots with the top five teams being separated by less than 10% of points meaning who plays at Lords remains anyone’s guess at the moment.
Australia leads the rankings with India dropping to second after getting swept at home by New Zealand. The two are followed by Sri Lanka with the Kiwis in 4th ahead of South Africa, England, and Pakistan in 7th.
Pakistan cricket has made little sense to the rest of the world and that is again the case here. Detrimental losses to England and Bangladesh should have ended their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final a long time ago but their recent triumph over Ben Stokes’ men has given them a sliver of opening to doing the improbable once again.
With a visit to South Africa coming up soon followed by a series at home against the already eliminated West Indies Pakistan cricket is dreaming of their first WTC Final appearance.
Pakistan’s Path to World Test Championship:
There are just 7 bilateral series left in the current World Test Championship cycle with Pakistan involved in two of them. Their two Test matches against South Africa will likely play a pivotal role in who ends up where.
Besides that, the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia vs India) could have a massive impact on the rest of the teams competing.
Here are the remaining fixtures of this cycle:
- Australia vs India
- West Indies vs Bangladesh
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka
- New Zealand vs England
- South Africa vs Pakistan
- Pakistan vs West Indies
- Sri Lanka vs Australia
Here is what Pakistan cricket needs to secure a qualification:
| Series | Result That Favours Pakistan |
| Australia vs India (5 matches) | Australia to win 2-1 (or more wins for the Aussies) with two games ending in a draw. |
| West Indies vs Bangladesh (2 matches) | The results of this series are inconsequential with both teams already out of the running. |
| South Africa vs Sri Lanka (2 matches) | South Africa to win 2-0 which will decrease Sri Lanka’s chances of making the final. |
| New Zealand vs England (3 matches) | New Zealand to win (2-1) |
| South Africa vs Pakistan (2 matches) | Pakistan to win 2-0 away from home for maximum points |
| Pakistan vs West Indies (2 matches) | Pakistan to win 2-0 at home for maximum points |
| Sri Lanka vs Australia (2 matches) | Australia to win 2-0 away from home |
Barring any points deduction this is the only way Pakistan cricket can make its way to Lords. Out of all possible scenarios, the Australia vs India series should warrant the most attention from local fans. India has made the Border-Gavaskar trophy its own since 2018 but if their recent form is anything to go by, Pat Cummins’ men should be more than capable of winning it this time.
Will the June 11th match feature Pakistan vs Australia, the Aussies and India, or perhaps even some other team remains to be seen but no one can deny that this World Test Championship cycle has been a greater proponent of the concept than previous editions.
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How will pak go above nz. nz will have 96 points and pak 88 with 88 point can pak go above nz.
Love the confidence that we will win against sa in sa and also all matches against wi to watch aus and ind series. Overconfidence much?