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On Friday, October 11, the Pakistan cricket team dropped to the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings after suffering a humiliating loss by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test of the three-match series against England. As of this writing, Pakistan are in ninth and last place on the WTC standings with 16.67 percentage points after losing six consecutive Tests under Shan Masood’s captaincy.
For the unversed, the Pakistan cricket team had posted a big score of 556 runs on the board in their first innings in 149 overs, putting themselves in a strong position on day two of the first Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium. But in response, England registered the fourth highest Test team total in history, scoring 823/7 declared in their first innings, to take a 267-run lead.
Pakistan conceded fourth highest Test team total during Multan Test against England
Going into day five, Pakistan were 152/6 in 37 overs, staring down the barrel at a humiliating defeat before it ultimately happened in the morning session on day five. England needed just under 18 more overs to bundle out Pakistan for 220 runs, to secure a famous Test win in Multan, which also meant that they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Unlike Pakistan, the England cricket team have moved up the WTC standings in recent months, finding themselves in fourth place with 45.59 percentage points after winning nine and losing seven of the 17 Test matches played since the summer of 2023. India are currently leading the WTC standings with 74.24 percentage points, ahead of Australia (62.50) and Sri Lanka (55.56), who are three of the topmost contenders to feature in the next year’s tournament final at Lord’s in London.
For Pakistan, their chance of making the final of the WTC next year is next to none, but they will be looking to bounce back from the tough defeat against England in the first Test with better performances in the remainder of the series.
