WTC Updated Points Table: England Triumph over New Zealand as Team India Charts New Course to Final

New Delhi: England has kicked off their New Zealand tour with a fantastic win. They secured an impressive eight-wicket victory over the host team in the first match of the 3-Test series. This win has put England in the lead with a 1-0 advantage in the series. The match, held at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday (1 December), has also given England a significant boost in the World Test Championship points table. The standout performer of the match was Brydon Carse, who delivered the best performance of his career by taking 6 wickets for just 42 runs in the second innings. Carse's brilliant bowling played a crucial role in England's victory and has set a high standard for the rest of the series.

Thanks to the brilliant bowling of Carse, England restricted the Kiwi team to 254 runs in the second innings. Chasing 104 runs to win, England lost Jack Crowley in the second over of their innings. At that time there was only one run on the scoreboard. Despite Crowley’s early dismissal, England did not bat slowly. He batted explosively and put the New Zealand bowlers under pressure.

RCB’s new batsman Bethell’s blast:
Ben Duckett attacked the Kiwi bowlers. He scored 27 runs off 18 balls with the help of four fours and a six. He got out on the third over while trying to play an uppercut. Jacob Bethell was the most impressive player in England’s second innings. Bethell, who played his first match, scored an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls. During this, he hit eight fours and a six. Joe Root also batted well and scored 23* runs off 15 balls. Bethell has been bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in the IPL auction this time.

New Zealand shocked by defeat:
England’s eight-wicket win has caused a major upset in the World Test Championship points table. England is in sixth place despite this win, but New Zealand has suffered a major setback. The chances of reaching the final have now reduced considerably. After defeating India 3-0, New Zealand had become a contender to reach the final. After the defeat against England, its equations have changed. Now it has to win the last two Test matches against England to remain in the race for the final. It was giving a tough fight to India in the points table, but its defeat has helped Team India.

India in the first place:
India remains in first place in the World Test Championship points table. On the other hand, South Africa’s team reached second place after a spectacular win against Sri Lanka. It pushed defending champion Australia to third place. The final of the World Test Championship will be played in England next year between the top-2 teams in the points table.

New Zealand is equal to Sri Lanka:
After this defeat, New Zealand’s point percentage (PCT) has become 50. It has become equal to Sri Lanka, which is in fourth place. Now even if it defeats England’s team 2-1 in the series, then its point percentage will reach only 57.14 PCT. In such a situation, the hopes of reaching the final will be negligible. However, if some miracle happens and the results of other teams come in its favour, then it can move forward. England’s hopes were dashed by the series defeat in Pakistan, but it has increased its PCT to 43.75. Even a 3-0 series win cannot take its point percentage above 50.