ICC World Test Championship: Final Standings for 2021–23 Period Confirmed After New Zealand Beat Sri Lanka in 2nd Test
As a result of their victory, New Zealand moved up one spot, from eighth to sixth, in the World Test Championship rankings, while West Indies and Pakistan slipped after the last Test of the series. South Africa finished in third place and narrowly behind India in second, while England rose to third.
Dubai, March 20: The standings have been finalised for the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship period, with June's final at The Oval between Australia and India the only match remaining. The current ICC World Test Championship period came to an end, following the completion of the second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Monday in Wellington. Sri Lanka finally showed some fight on the fourth day of the second Test, but skipper Tim Southee (3/51) got the final breakthrough to ensure New Zealand clinched a comfortable innings and 58-run victory over Dimuth Karunaratne's side. New Zealand Beat Sri Lanka by an Innings and 58 Runs in 2nd Test, Sweep Series 2–0.
The triumph helped New Zealand jump from eighth to sixth on the World Test Championship standings, with Pakistan and West Indies each dropping a place following the final Test of the period. There is of course still the World Test Championship final ahead, with Australia and India scheduled to do battle in the one-off Test at The Oval in London at the start of June after they finished in the top two positions on the standings. When is India vs Australia ICC WTC 2023 Final? Know Date and Time in IST of IND vs AUS World Test Championship Match.
South Africa finished in third place and narrowly behind India in second, while England rose to third and in front of Sri Lanka following the Asian nation's 2-0 series loss to New Zealand. Sri Lanka could have qualified for the final with a 2-0 series sweep over New Zealand, but a narrow loss in the first match of the series and a disappointing effort in the second Test saw them drop to fifth on the standings.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2023 04:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).