World Test Championship: How Your Team Can Reach the Final
It is only a few months until the final of WTC 21-23, and the tension is increasing between players and fans as every team aims to get to the finals. The qualifying matches reveal South Africa might make it to the finals after bowling over India and Bangladesh. Australia and Sri Lanka also have a solid structure that cannot be overlooked. India and Pakistan have a good bowling record as well.
Overall, nine national teams are still in the battle to win the World Test Championship trophy come 2023. This edition of the Test championship is the second edition, following the inaugural edition won by New Zealand in 2021.
Here are the nine national teams bowling for the World Test Championship:
- New Zealand
- India
- Australia
- South Africa
- England
- Sri Lanka
- Pakistan
- West Indies
- Bangladesh
Fans of these national teams are on the lookout for which would get to the finals, and the betting odds are getting more interesting. Before you place your wagers, check out the cricket World Cup odds on Parimatch to help you make informed decisions.
Using our detailed statistics, the present standings table, and the previous playing record of each team in the tournament, here are the things your team can do to make the finals.
Australia
Australia has only three series left for both home and away matches. The team is meant to meet the West Indies team in two home matches, South Africa in three home matches, and India in four Tests. Australia has better chances of getting to the finals if they put more effort into their home matches than the away matches.
With a built-up team containing Nathan Lyon, one of the highest wicket-takers in history, and Usman Khawaja, the future looks promising for the Australian team. However, India could be a hindrance to Australia getting to the finals. Overall, Australia is certain to qualify with more points from their home games.
South Africa
South Africa is another team with a high possibility of getting to the final bowl. However, their upcoming matches show they have some major hurdles to cross. While they prepare to play England and Australia in an away match, they also have West Indies to battle in a home match.
Getting through Australia and England might be rough for South Africa, but the team can pull a great stunt by employing a more attacking strategy. South Africa’s history of winning India in away matches shows that they might just be on their way to the finals.
Sri Lanka
For a place in the Test Championship finals, Sri Lanka has two away matches with New Zealand to go. Sri Lanka has come a long way and getting points off New Zealand while hoping that the rest of the series favors them would take them to the final place. The home Tests for Sri Lanka, if they had won all, would have been their breakthrough to getting to the finals.
India
The India team has two away and four home Tests between them and the finals. These Tests are against Bangladesh and Australia, respectively. Presently, India is not very close to qualifying for the finals due to previous setbacks, such as winning only four of their first nine fixtures.
However, they need to win all the rest of their Test series for a final place. The team must also get over losing Virat Kohli to retirement and build a solid structure to aid optimum performance. With India’s current percentage, they also need to hope other tournament matches play in their favor.
Pakistan
The Pakistani team is only two series away from getting to the finals. They must bowl England in three home matches and New Zealand in two home matches. Pakistan will need to win all their home tests and hope the rest matches favor them to qualify for the finals.
While it is obvious that Pakistan has one of the best WTC teams, the slightest defeat may cost them the finals. Overall, Pakistan winning five of their upcoming tests, especially the home series, would significantly increase their percentage.
West Indies
West Indies has two series to go: two away matches with South Africa and Australia each. With the team’s current record, West Indies must win all the matches before them before they can make it to the finals. If the results of all their remaining matches are in their favor, the team’s points will increase from 50% to 65.38%. However, they might still have to hope that the other team’s results play out for their good.
England
To guarantee a place in the finals, England has to battle South Africa in two home matches and Pakistan in three away games. However, with their relatively low percentage of possible points, England should focus on building a more solid test-cricket team and prepare for the next Test Championship cycle. The team’s recent effort in getting a new coach is commendable, and we look forward to a great match in the subsequent cycle.
New Zealand
New Zealand has Pakistan to win in two away tests and Sri Lanka in two home tests. Their performance is surprisingly below par this year for a team who held the previous championship. Several internal issues affected their performances in many of their previous games; hence, New Zealand’s making it to the finals is currently not feasible. However, there is no harm in winning the subsequent few Tests ahead of them. This will take them up to 48% of possible points, but still not enough to qualify for the final.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh currently has one test series to go, including two home Tests against India. Although they might try to win these subsequent fixtures, it is too late to get to the finals. The team can restrategize for the next series cycle and strive to get to the final test.
Conclusion
Cricket is the world’s second most popular sport. The World Test Championship adds more spice to the sport by fostering more competitiveness and featuring more matches than any other cricket competition. From the analysis above, we expect to see more competitive games than before. As the WTC is gradually coming to a close, don’t forget to visit Praimatch for competitive odds and great betting markets.