Australia defeated Sri Lanka by nine wickets to secure a historic series triumph in the subcontinent as the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 league stage came to an end. Australia secured their place in the final with this victory, and they will play South Africa at Lord’s in June. Let’s examine each team’s performance in this cycle, per ICC.
With a points percentage of 69.44, South Africa became victorious from the league stage. They dominated at home, winning the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and drew with India. With wins over Bangladesh and the West Indies, their away performance was as outstanding. They were without many of their first-choice stars in New Zealand, which was their lone setback. With eight victories and one draw, the Proteas qualified for their first-ever Final of the ICC World Test Championship.
Australia finished second in the league standings with a points percentage of 67.54, earning the right to defend their championship. They drew the Ashes in England to start the tournament, then dominated Pakistan 3-0 at home. West Indies held them to a series draw, which was a small blow, but wins over New Zealand and Sri Lanka, as well as a historic victory at home against India, guaranteed Australia a spot in the June final against South Africa.
India finished third with a points percentage of 50, just missing out on a third consecutive World Test Championship final. They won a series in the West Indies to start the campaign, and then they fought their way to a draw in South Africa. With resounding home wins over Bangladesh and England, momentum increased. However, their chances of making it to the final were finally dashed by a difficult tour of Australia and a heartbreaking home loss to New Zealand.
New Zealand had a wild season with seven wins and seven losses from 14 games, finishing fourth in the rankings with a points percentage of 48.21. The Kiwis almost missed a position in the Lord’s final after impressive wins against South Africa and India were counterbalanced by losses to Australia and England.
Throughout the cycle, England played the most games—22—and won 11 of them. But Ben Stokes’ team lost a total of 22 points as a result of slow overrate penalties, which proved costly. They finished sixth with a points percentage of 43.18, unable to move higher despite series victories against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the West Indies due to these deductions.
Sri Lanka finished sixth in the standings after playing 13 games throughout the cycle, winning five and losing eight. They struggled to pull off big upsets, as their two series wins were against New Zealand and Bangladesh. As a result, they finished in sixth position with a 38.46 points percentage.
Bangladesh had a difficult season, failing to win a home series and ending eighth with a points percentage of 31.25. Highlights for them included a record away whitewash of Pakistan and series draws against New Zealand and the West Indies. But they were eliminated from the running for a position in the final after suffering crushing losses to South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India.
West Indies had a dismal season, placing eighth with a points percentage of 28.21 and finding it difficult to compete with its rivals. The only victories they had were series ties with Pakistan, Australia, and Bangladesh. But they fell to the second-lowest spot in the rankings after suffering crushing losses to South Africa, England, and India.
With a points percentage of 27.98, Pakistan finished bottom in this World Test Championship cycle after a tumultuous campaign. They suffered crushing away losses to South Africa and Australia, as well as a humiliating home loss to Bangladesh. Despite their notable victory against England and series draw against the West Indies, they were unable to move up from the bottom of the standings.