Winning isn't enough: How the WTC Points Percentage system determines the finalists?

While sport is about winning, the World Test Championship (WTC) is different. To reach its final, teams must show consistent performance and maximise their WTC Points Percentage, not just win matches.

The World Test Championship, which began in 2019, has the top nine-ranked Test nations – Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies – competing for the pinnacle of red-ball cricket.

Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland are not part of the WTC, and the results against these minnows won’t count for the championship points.

While the win plays a big role in accumulating the points, it gives an unfair advantage to the teams playing longer series. The three biggies of world cricket – Australia, India, and England – play more Tests than the rest, at least by 30 per cent. So a simple points calculation will not do justice to the rest.

For example, an Ashes series sees five Test matches, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh might play only two or three. Hence, the International Cricket Council has adopted the World Test Championship Percentage points and is ranked based on its points.

Yes, some teams will play more Tests during the two-year cycle than others, but the points system – which is explained in detail below – is weighted in a way that teams who play fewer matches won’t be disadvantaged.

Teams will be awarded points for each match they play, and the top two teams at the end of the two-year cycle will play off in a five-day final to determine the overall winner. If the final is drawn or tied, joint winners will be declared.

The points percentage is calculated by dividing points won by total available points multiplied by 100.

A win gets the team 12 points, six points for a tie, and four for a draw. Points are deducted for slow over rates. A look at the 2023-2025 World Test Championship Table will give a fair understanding of the
percentage points’ importance.

England and India finished with 114 points respectively, behind Australia (154), but South Africa, with 100 points, finished at the top of the table and booked a place in the final. The World Test Championship ended South Africa’s barren run to win the title after stunning Australia in the final.

Australia defeated India in the final of the last edition (2021-23). In the inaugural edition of the WTC (2019-21), New Zealand were crowned champions after beating India in the final.

Two-time finalists couldn’t make it to the final this year after suffering a drubbing at the hands of New Zealand at home, losing all three matches of the three-Test series.

With nine teams involved and a number of limited-overs cricket, domestic T20 leagues, and major ICC events taking up plenty of space in the annual calendar, teams will not play against all other rivals during the two-year cycle. Hence, each team will play six series during the cycle, three home and as many away.

With Test cricket facing an existential crisis amid the mushrooming Twenty20 leagues and more youth taking the lucrative shortest format, the World Test Championship has helped the oldest and longest format to grow in interest.

The WTC also ensured that there are no dead rubbers in a series, even after a result, as it will enable the teams to garner valuable points percentage, which could be beneficial towards the end when teams are scrambling for final berths.

In the current cycle, Australia have moved to the top with a perfect record after winning all five matches so far. Defending champions South Africa have picked up their pieces and returned to the top of their game after suffering a loss in their opening match in Lahore. The Proteas learnt a huge lesson to win the second Test and went on to shock India in their den with a 2-0 win.

That loss and a 2-2 draw in England have left the two-time finalists in unfamiliar sixth spot, but the team in transition will have time till August 2026 to regroup and make a meaningful start. However, similar to the last cycle, India will face Australia in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with a difference, now Australia will play in India.

The Men in Blue managed to conquer Australia’s fortress in Gabba during their previous tours, and even in the last one, India started on a positive note by winning the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, but after that, their fortunes went south, and Australia managed to win the series, 3-1. 

However, the series had even more serious ramifications off the field. Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement midway through the series, while two stalwarts of Indian cricket – skipper Rohit Sharma and talisman Virat Kohli ended their Test careers.

Amid the growing love for white-ball cricket, the World Test Championship has brought cheers to the aficionados, who would endlessly wait for the close-in fielders to pouch the sharp chance in the slips. But the WTC’s point percentage has made it a level-playing field.