South Africa have qualified for the final of June’s World Test Championship at Lord’s. But who will the Proteas face next summer?
Australia and India, who are currently facing each other, are the frontrunners although Sri Lanka still holds out hope. But England have fallen out of contention due to too many defeats and reckless overestimation over a two-year period.
South Africa secured their place in the final with a nervy two-wicket win over Pakistan at Centurion, with Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen hitting the target of 148 after four wickets fell for three runs at 96-4 at SuperSport Park.
What do both sides need?
australia
Remaining matches = 1 home match against India; two in sri lanka
Reigning champions Australia will advance to their second successive World Test Championship final if they win the final Test against India in Sydney.
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins celebrate Australia’s win over India in the day-night Test.
If the series ends 2-2, with Australia leading 2-1 after four games following their win at the MCG, the Baggy Greens will need to win one of their two games against Sri Lanka in early 2025.
India
Remaining matches = 1 match against Australia
India need to win the final Test against Australia to qualify for Lord’s, but even a 2-2 draw leaves Sri Lanka with no choice but to win the series against Australia at home in January.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss whether Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is the best player in the world across all formats of the game.
sri lanka
Remaining matches = 2 home matches against Australia
Sri Lanka were more competitive in their second Test loss to South Africa, but the result saw them slump by 109 runs, a result that coincided with an embarrassing loss in the series opener in Durban, rolling them to their lowest ever Test score. Out of 42 – meaning all are out of contention.
They now need Australia and India to secure a draw at the SCG and sweep the Baggy Greens in a two-Test series at home in January.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sri Lanka were skittled for 42 inside 14 overs during their loss to South Africa in the first Test in Durban.
How does the points system work?
Nine teams – Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies – will play six series each (three home and three away).
If teams do not play the same number of matches, votes are decided based on the percentage of points won. A win with 12 points would be 100%, a tie with 6 points would be 50%, and a draw with 4 points would be 33.3. percent.
If you lose the game, you leave with nothing.
Ben Stokes’ England are aiming to reach the final of the World Test Championship.
Teams can lose points due to excessive offences, as England and Australia did in the 2023 Ashes and most recently in the series-opening Test against New Zealand.
England were deducted a total of 19 points for slow over-ratings in the first, second, fourth and fifth Tests of last year’s Ashes, and a further three points for indiscretion in Christchurch, taking their total to 22.
