The final match of the ICC World Test Championship 2021–2023 is likely to be held on March 31. The venue for the second edition of the final is yet to be confirmed, but the ICC wants to host the match at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground in London. The top two teams in the points table will advance to the final. With less than a year left before the WTC championship match takes place, all the big teams are pushing hard to finish in the top two in the points standings. Let’s take a look at the favourites to reach the final, the current standings and the remaining fixtures of the ongoing Test Championship.

2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship: Points Table Scenario 

The ICC has twelve full members but not all the teams are taking part in the ICC World Test Championship 2021–2023. Nine teams are playing in the second edition of the championship. The teams that are participating in the Test Championship are: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies. As per the latest standings, Australia are leading the points table with 77.78 PCT, while Bangladesh are at the bottom of the standings with 13.33 PCT.

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ICC World Test Championship (2021-2023) Points Standings (Updated: July 5, 2022)

   Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/world-test-championship/standings

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2021-2023 ICC WTC: Remaining Fixtures

69 matches are scheduled to be played in 27 series over the two-year period. Each team will take part in six series, three at home and three away. Each series will contain two to five matches, and all the participating teams will play 12 to 22 Test matches. England are scheduled to play the most with 22 matches in the second edition of the competition. 12 points for a win, 6 points for a tie, and 4 points for a draw are allocated for the Championship. Therefore, 24 points are available for 2-match series, 36 points for 3-match series, 48 points for 4-match series, and 60 points for 5-match series. Let’s take a look at the remaining fixtures of all nine participating teams.

Australia

The current leader of the WTC 2021–2023 points table, Australia, have three series left. They don’t have any series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Remaining series (3): West Indies (November-December, 2022 / home), South Africa (December 2022-January 2023 / home), and India (February-March, 2023 / away).

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South Africa

The Proteas team has played three WTC series so far, and they will play three more in the current edition of the tournament. They don’t have any series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Remaining series (3): England (August-September, 2022 / away), Australia (December 2022-January 2023 / away), and West Indies (TBD / home)

Pakistan

Pakistan have three series remaining in the ongoing World Test Championship. They don’t have any series against India and South Africa in this edition of the competition.

Remaining series (3): Sri Lanka (July, 2022 / away), England (November-December, 2022 / home), and New Zealand (December, 2022 / home).

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India

The Indian Test team will play two more series in the 2021–2023 WTC. They have no scheduled series against Pakistan and the West Indies in the current championship.

Remaining series (2): Bangladesh (November, 2022 / away), and Australia India (February-March, 2023 / home)

West Indies

The Caribbean Test team has already played four Test series, so they have two more series in this Test Championship. They will not play any WTC series against India and New Zealand.

Remaining series (2): Australia (November-December, 2022 / away), and South Africa (TBD / away).

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Sri Lanka

The Lankan Test team has two more series left in the ongoing WTC. They have no scheduled Test series against England and South Africa.

Remaining series (2): Pakistan (July, 2022 / home), and New Zealand (March, 2023/ away).

England

England will play two more series in the competition as they have already competed in four series. The English Test side has no scheduled Test series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Remaining series (2): South Africa (August-September, 2022 / home), and Pakistan (November-December, 2022/ away).

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New Zealand

The Kiwi Test team has two more series in the WTC 2021–2023. They will not play any series against Australia and the West Indies.

Remaining series (2): Pakistan (December, 2022 / away), and Sri Lanka (March, 2023 / home)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh have completed the highest number of series among the participating teams. They have already played five series and have one series left against India. Bangladesh have no series against Australia and England in the 2021–2023 Test Championship.

Remaining series (1): India (November, 2022 / home).

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ICC WTC 2021-2023: Favourites to Reach the Final

The ICC made some changes to the rules and one of the major changes is that the PCT (percentage) determines the position of the 2021–2023 World Test Championship points table. As a result, teams with higher PCT rank higher in the points standings. Let’s take a look at all the teams' current scenarios in their quest for the Test Championship final.

Australia

Australia are currently leading the standings with 6 victories and 3 draws. They are the only team that has remained unbeaten in the tournament. With 10 matches in hand, Australia are in a strong position to finish top of the points table and secure a place in the final.

Verdict: Top 2

South Africa

The ICC Test Championship 2021–2023 is going well for South Africa, who are now placed second with 71.43 PCT. The Proteas team still has to play two challenging series against England and Australia. In these two series, they will compete in six games that will determine whether they advance to the final or not.

Verdict: Top 5

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Pakistan

Pakistan are in the third position with 52.38 PCT. Pakistan have a genuine chance to reach the final as there are 7 matches still left for them. Four of those matches will be against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Both the New Zealand and Sri Lanka series will not be a big threat to the Pakistan side. However, the series against England will be a tough challenge for them.

Verdict: Top 4

India

India’s current position is fourth with 52.08 PCT. Team India will be favourite to beat Bangladesh in both of the matches. However, the four matches against Australia at home will decide whether they can reach the final for the second time.

Verdict: Top 4  

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West Indies

The Caribbean team’s remaining two series would be against Australia and South Africa. Both the opponents will target the West Indies to increase their respective PCT. Therefore, the West Indies will have a tough time during the two series. The West Indies are in fifth position, and they will try to finish in the top five in the final point standings.

Verdict: Top 7

Sri Lanka

The Lankan Test side has three victories so far in the tournament and they have currently occupied the sixth position in the points table. Sri Lanka have no realistic chance of finishing in the top two even if they win the series against New Zealand and Pakistan. They will try to finish as high as possible in the points table.

Verdict: Top 7

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England

Two months ago, England's Test team looked shambolic and they were at the bottom of the points standings. However, they have made a brilliant comeback after Ben Stokes was appointed as captain. England have now won four consecutive Tests and moved up to the seventh position. With only six matches left, England have no chance to qualify for the final.

Verdict: Top 7

New Zealand

The reigning champions, New Zealand, are having a difficult time in the ongoing 2021–2023 Test Championship. They have only won two of nine matches so far in the tournament. The Kiwi Test side will likely finish in the bottom half of the points table in the second edition of the competition.

Verdict: 8th position

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Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s only victory in the WTC has come against New Zealand earlier in January 2022. Apart from that, Bangladesh have lost eight matches and they will likely taste the same results against India in November. Therefore, the Bangladeshi team's ICC Test Championship 2021–2023 campaign is expected to be another lackluster event.

Verdict: 9th position

Way Forward

Australia's qualification for the final appears to be fairly guaranteed based on the current standings. The reigning champions, New Zealand’s chance to secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship 2021–2023 final is all but over. So, they won’t be able to defend their title. First edition runner-up India are still in the race for the championship match, but they will face staunch competition from Pakistan and South Africa. The majority of the remaining teams have no chance to qualify for the final, with Bangladesh finishing bottom in the points standings, which is all but assured.

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