Pakistan have made a dream start to their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 campaign with a commanding victory over South Africa in the opening Test, propelling them to a massive jump in the latest points table.
Led by Noman Ali’s ten-wicket haul, Pakistan sealed a 93-run win in Lahore, moving to second place in the points table after just one game.
After setting South Africa a challenging target of 277 runs, Pakistan’s spinners once again proved unstoppable. Noman Ali tore through the middle order with figures of 4 for 79, while Shaheen Afridi joined the charge with a fiery spell of 4 for 33, dismissing South Africa for 183 despite a valiant effort from Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton on a difficult surface.
With this win, Pakistan now sit second on the WTC points table, boasting a 100% points percentage (PCT), identical to leaders Australia. South Africa, the defending champions, meanwhile drop to seventh place.
Latest ICC World Test Championship 2025 Table
| Rank | Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Draws | NR | Points | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 100.00% |
| 2 | Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 100.00% |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67% |
| 4 | India | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 61.90% |
| 5 | England | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 43.33% |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67% |
| 7 | South Africa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 8 | West Indies | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 9 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Pakistan and South Africa will continue to shape the standings as they face off once more in Rawalpindi. With Noman Ali in record-breaking form and Shaheen Afridi rediscovering his rhythm, the Men in Green have sent a clear message to the rest of the WTC contenders, they mean business this cycle.
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really good start by Pakistan..in this competition..prayers n wishes for upcoming matches…!
Eng n lnd are two top sides.. likely to be ready.. trouble others..
best crick is the test cricket!
Home advantages are there..Past n recent past shows..players like shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain, wasim, McGrath..
Inzimamul Haq, Misbah, Yousuf, Shane Warne..Tendulkar, Saeed Anwar,James Anderson,Dravid..and Rashid Latif, MS Dhoni..
Brett Lee, Sangakara,Jaysuria..always have impact to change the game to their side.
should expect better forom thes sides Ban, Sri n W Indies.
always enjoy the good bowling track..
enough spin, good bounce..