Sri Lanka held on for a hard-fought draw against India in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, with the result giving India a 1-0 series win but making their path to the World Test Championship (WTC) final more difficult.
Bangladesh’s impressive 1-1 series result in Australia and India’s 1-0 win in Sri Lanka have had a significant impact on the WTC standings as the fourth edition of the championship moves into its third phase.
In the previous two WTC cycles, the teams that qualified for the final finished with strong points percentages. South Africa and Australia reached the 2025 final with 69.44% and 67.54% respectively, while Australia and India qualified for the 2023 final with 66.67% and 58.80%.
WTC Points Table after Sri Lanka vs India, Colombo Test
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Draw | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 96 | 80.00% |
| South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 75.00% |
| New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 72.22% |
| Bangladesh | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 55.56% |
| India | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 68 | 51.52% |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 33.33% |
| England | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 50 | 29.76% |
| West Indies | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 30 | 20.83% |
| Pakistan | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 19.05% |
Here is what each team in contention needs to do to keep their qualification hopes alive:
Australia
Series left: South Africa (3 Tests, away), New Zealand (4 Tests, home), India (5 Tests, away)
Australia continue to lead the table with an impressive 80% PCT, having won eight of their 10 Tests so far. Despite their defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin, they remain the strongest contenders for a place in the final.
Australia have 12 Tests remaining, with eight of those coming away from home against South Africa and India. Six wins and a draw from their remaining matches would take them beyond the 65% mark, while seven wins and a draw would take them close to 70%.
Given the results from the previous two WTC cycles, that should put Australia in a very strong position to finish in the top two.
South Africa
Series left: Australia (3 Tests, home), Bangladesh (2 Tests, home), England (3 Tests, home), Sri Lanka (2 Tests, away)
South Africa are currently second with a 75% PCT and have eight of their remaining 10 Tests at home.
Their biggest challenge will be facing Australia and England, who have both performed well in South Africa in recent years. Six wins and a draw from their remaining matches would take them to around 66.67%, while seven wins should push them beyond 70%.
That would put them in a strong position to qualify for the final.
New Zealand
Series left: India (2 Tests, home), Pakistan (2 Tests, away), Australia (4 Tests, away), Sri Lanka (2 Tests, home)
New Zealand have made an excellent start to the cycle and currently sit third with a 72.22% PCT.
They have two home series left against India and Sri Lanka, neither of whom have won a Test series in New Zealand in the last 15 years. Winning both those series and at least two of their six away Tests would take New Zealand close to the 65% mark.
If they win seven of their remaining 10 Tests, they would reach around 70.83%, which should give them a strong chance of finishing in the top two.
Bangladesh
Series left: South Africa (2 Tests, away), West Indies (2 Tests, home), England (2 Tests, home)
Bangladesh are currently fourth and are enjoying their best position in any WTC cycle so far.
They have four of their six remaining Tests at home, against West Indies and England, and will need to make the most of those matches.
Bangladesh have the fewest Tests left among the teams currently in contention, meaning every result will have a major impact on their qualification hopes.
If they win four and draw two of their remaining six Tests, they can reach 66.67% PCT. Four wins and two defeats would take them to 61.11%.
India
Series left: New Zealand (2 Tests, away), Australia (5 Tests, home)
The draw in Colombo has made India’s road to the WTC final considerably tougher.
India finish the Sri Lanka tour with 16 points instead of the 24 that were available, and they now sit fifth in the table with a 51.52% PCT.
India have only seven Tests remaining — two in New Zealand and five at home against Australia. Winning all seven would take them to 70.37%, putting them firmly in contention.
Six wins and one defeat would take India close to 65%, which could still be enough depending on results elsewhere.
However, a poor result in New Zealand could put them under serious pressure. For example, if India lose the series 0-2 in New Zealand but then beat Australia 5-0 at home, they would finish on around 59.26%, leaving them heavily dependent on other results.
Sri Lanka
Series left: Pakistan (2 Tests, away), New Zealand (2 Tests, away), South Africa (2 Tests, home)
The draw against India will give Sri Lanka some confidence, but it does little to improve their already difficult position in the WTC standings.
They managed only four points out of a possible 24 in the two-Test series against India and have just one home series remaining.
Even if Sri Lanka win all six of their remaining Tests, they can reach a maximum of 66.67% PCT. That means they will need a number of favourable results elsewhere to have any realistic chance of reaching the final.
England, Pakistan and West Indies
England, Pakistan and West Indies have very little room left for error and face a difficult road to the top two.
Even if they win all their remaining Tests, their maximum possible PCTs are 53.17% for England, 56.41% for Pakistan and 32.14% for West Indies.
Based on the current standings and the number of matches remaining for the teams above them, all three sides are unlikely to finish in the top two.
