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New Zealand, the inaugural champions of the World Test Championship (WTC) are locking horns with India in a three-match Test series. While the Tom Latham-led side, who came to India after a 0-2 series defeat against Sri Lanka, on Saturday, October 26 clinched the Test series 2-0 with one more Test match to go. With this win, the Kiwis registered their first series win over the number one ranked Test team, India since 2012 in India.
Moreover, with this crucial series win, the Black Caps also opened their gates of making their second appearance in the WTC Final, which is set to be held from 11 to 15 June at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London in 2025. Meanwhile, India, who are eyeing their third straight appearance in WTC Final, are sitting at the top of the points table with eight wins, four losses from 13 matches and a win percentage of 62.82.
How can New Zealand qualify for WTC Final 2025?
The forthcoming Test season would be crucial for New Zealand in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle as they will participate in four more Test matches from here on. With four Tests still left for the Black Caps, New Zealand need to win all of them, which remains to be the only way for them to secure a spot in the final.
However, the Black Caps have won four and lost five games in the competition, with four games remaining, a win in all of them would elevate their percentage to 64, which could come in play should other results favour them. Here is a list of the remaining games for New Zealand in the WTC 2023-25 cycle:
India vs New Zealand 3rd Test: November 1-5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
New Zealand vs England 3-match Test series: November 28 to December 18 in New Zealand
Here’s how the WTC 2023-25 Points Table looks like:
Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | DED | Points | Percentage |
1 | India | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 98 | 62.82 |
2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 90 | 62.50 |
3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
4 | New Zealand | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 50.00 |
5 | South Africa | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 47.62 |
6 | England | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 93 | 40.79 |
7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 33.33 |
8 | Bangladesh | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 30.56 |
9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 18.52 |
