Daily Times

WELLINGTON: New Zealand will be playing yet another final at the Lord’s, securing a top-two finish in the ongoing World Test Championship 2021 after Australia’s tour of South Africa was postponed owing to the second wave of Covid-19 gripping the Rainbow nation. New Zealand are currently placed second in the standings with 70 percent of points earned and 420 points, behind India who will be playing England in a four-match Test series starting February 5. For New Zealand to make the final they needed no more than one other team to finish with more than 70.0% of points earned, but now only one team from either India, England can finish with more than NZ’s percentage points. Australia, who are placed third, had the opportunity to stake a claim for the spot in the final of the inaugural WTC, if they could register wins in at least two Tests of the three-match series against South Africa and avoid any losses, thus pushing NZ down the standings. However, with the series postponed current regulations dictate that matches not completed shall be treated as a draw with points split. With 69.2 percentage of points earned and 332 points, Australia’s percentage after the splitting of points will go down further, but this does not mean that they are out of the contention. Even if India win the series, if the margin is 1-0, that could see Australia sneak through and if the series is a draw, that would also mean Australia can move to the final. South Africa, on the other hand, after a loss to Pakistan in the 1st Test at Karachi and coupled with England’s 2-0 win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, are out of the race to make it to the WTC final; so is Pakistan.