South Africa completed a 2-0 series whitewash over Sri Lanka after winning the second Test by 109 runs on Monday (December 9). Here's what the result means for the World Test Championship final race.
On the morning of day five, the second Test in Gqeberha was evenly poised as Sri Lanka needed 143 runs to win with two set batters at the crease, and five wickets in hand.
It didn't take long for South Africa to strike though, as Keshav Maharaj managed to get rid of Kusal Mendis in the seventh over of the day before Kagiso Rabada accounted for Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva barely three overs later. Thereafter, it was only a matter of time before they polished off the last three wickets, eventually securing a 109-run win.
For now, the result has taken South Africa to the top of the World Test Championship table. But how does this affect the race to the final?
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Points deducted | Points | PCT |
| 1 | South Africa | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 63.33 |
| 2 | Australia | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 102 | 60.71 |
| 3 | India | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 110 | 57.29 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 45.45 |
| 5 | England | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 22 | 114 | 45.24 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 44.23 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 24.24 |
South Africa
With two Tests left in the current cycle (both at home against Pakistan), South Africa now virtually have one foot in the World Test Championship final. Winning just one of these will take them to a points percentage of 61.11, which cannot be overtaken by two other sides.
If South Africa lose both Tests against Pakistan, they can only make the final if:
- The Border-Gavaskar Trophy finishes 3-2 to India, AND
- Sri Lanka beat Australia exactly 1-0 – no more, no less.
Australia
The South Africa win has simplified matters for Australia. All they have to do now is win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a margin of 3-2 or better (easier said than done) in order to secure a place in the WTC final – their series against Sri Lanka will become irrelevant in this case.
However, if they lose the BGT 3-2 instead, they will have to beat Sri Lanka 2-0 to be sure of a spot in the final.
If Australia lose the BGT 4-1, they will have to beat Sri Lanka 2-0 and also hope that South Africa lose 2-0 to Pakistan, in order to qualify for the final.
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India
India's path to the final is simple – win all three remaining Test matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Any other set of results leaves them dependent on other matches for qualification.
If they win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-2 (i.e. drop one Test), they can be eliminated from the top two if South Africa achieve a 1-1 or better against Pakistan, and Australia beat Sri Lanka 2-0. It is not the worst scenario in the world, and they may yet end up qualifying, but it is out of their hands then.
If India end up losing the BGT 4-1, they will need Pakistan to beat South Africa 2-0 and Sri Lanka to not beat Australia 2-0 (any other result is fine), to make the final.
Read more: Sherfane Rutherford breaks West Indies record with maiden ODI ton
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's PCT has plummetted to 45.45, and they are now in fourth. Their chances of making the WTC final do not rest in their hands.
Even if Sri Lanka win both remaining matches (against Australia at home), they need Pakistan to defeat South Africa 2-0 before that series kicks off, to have any decent chance of qualifying. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has no bearing on their chances in this case.
If that series ends 1-0 in Pakistan's favour, they would need the (highly unlikely) result of three draws between India and Australia to make it.
If they fail to win even one match, Sri Lanka cannot qualify for the final.
*All calculations made without taking into account points deductions for slow over rates.
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