Five teams are still in the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final, but what happens in the case of a tie at the second place?
With their Durban win, South Africa jumped to second place on the WTC 2023-25 points table, between India and Australia. Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka – now fifth – are still in the race, as are fourth-placed New Zealand.
Two out of these five teams will make it to the final, to be played at Lord’s. That bit is easy to understand. However, what happens when the second- and third-placed teams (or, as an extension, any group of teams including those two) are tied on PCT (points percentage)? Who qualifies in that case?
Before we begin, here is where the teams stand.
Is a tie possible?
It is unlikely, but yes. To obtain the PCT, one has to divide the points by 12 times the Tests they play. Some teams (Australia and India, for example, will play 19 each) are playing the same number of teams in this cycle. In these cases, identical numerators will result in the same PCT.
It must be remembered here that teams also lose points for poor over rates. That may change the numerators as well.
What happens in case of a tie?
The ICC Playing Conditions for the 2023-25 WTC takes this into account. Clause 16.2.2 states that in these cases, the teams “will be ordered by the higher number of Series wins”.
It is important to note that while the teams may play different numbers of Test matches, they play six series each.
If they are still tied after that? That is covered by 16.12.3: “They will be ordered by the higher percentage of available points earned by each team in their away matches (“Away Points Percentage”).”
This is the same as the PCT (points scored divided by 12 times the number of Tests played), but taking into account only the three away series.
What if there is still a tie? According to 16.12.4, “the team that is ranked in the higher position in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings as at the final day of the Competition Window (Wednesday 30 April 2025) shall be placed higher”.
The final tie-breaker will, thus, come down to the ICC rankings – a system whose window predates the current WTC cycle and takes into account results against non-WTC sides. The 2023-25 WTC finalists may, thus, be decided on outcomes involving matches outside the 2023-25 WTC.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
