England's Jacob Bethell, left, and Joe Root are congratulated by New Zealand players. (AP/PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: England secured a commanding eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series in Christchurch on Sunday. The victory marked England’s 10th Test win in the ongoing
ICC World Test Championship
(
WTC
) cycle, the most by any team.
However, despite their high win count, England remain sixth in the standings with 43.75 percentage points (PCT), marginally improving their PCT by around three points after the win.
The imbalance in England’s WTC ranking stems from their nine defeats, the highest in this cycle, as they have played the most matches (20). In contrast, India, who lead the standings with 61.11 PCT, have played 15 matches, the second-highest in the cycle.
The result in Christchurch significantly dented New Zealand’s chances of making the WTC final. The hosts' PCT dropped by 4.55%, leaving them tied at fourth with Sri Lanka, both at 50.00 PCT.
The top three positions in the WTC standings remained unaffected. South Africa moved to second place (59.26 PCT) after their 233-run win over Sri Lanka on Saturday, while Australia maintained third position (57.69 PCT).
Here is a look at the updated WTC Points Table:
| 1 | India | 15 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 110 | 61.11% |
| 2 | South Africa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 59.26% |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 57.69% |
| 4 | New Zealand | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 50.00% |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 50.00% |
| 6 | England | 20 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 43.75% |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 33.33% |
| 8 | West Indies | 10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 26.67% |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 25.00% |
England’s dominant performance in Christchurch also highlighted their resilience, but their path to the WTC final remains challenging, with stiff competition from the top-ranked teams.
The second Test between England and New Zealand, set to take place in Wellington, will now be crucial for both sides.
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