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.
| 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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