WTC Points Table: India At The Top; Sri Lanka Overtake England Following Clinical Win In 3rd Test
SL claim fifth position in WTC standings [X]
In a phenomenal achievement, Sri Lanka went past England in the World Test Championship points table after defeating the hosts in a riveting contest at Kennington Oval. The final Test of the three-match series witnessed a dramatic turnaround from the Lankan Lions, who thrashed the Englishmen by eight wickets to finish the series on a high note.
After bowling England out for 156 runs in their second innings, Sri Lanka displayed commendable batting prowess to chase down the 219-run target. Pathum Nissanka emerged as the hero for Sri Lanka, leading them to a memorable win with a scintillating hundred.
Sri Lanka's phenomenal outing in the Oval Test helped them climb up in the World Test Championship points table. The Dhananjaya de Silva-led side pipped England to claim the fifth position in the nine-team standings.
It was Sri Lanka's third victory in the ongoing WTC cycle. They have a marginally better PCT than the Englishmen, while India, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh still claim the first four positions.
How crucial is India vs Bangladesh Test series from WTC perspective?
The upcoming Test series between India and Bangladesh will be vital in determining the future of both teams in the ongoing WTC cycle. While India comfortably sit at the top with an excellent PCT of 68.52, the Tigers had an exponential rise in the standings following their historic series win against Pakistan.
So, both teams would be keen to emerge victorious in the two-match series and boost their chances of qualifying for the WTC final. Given their home dominance, India will start as the clear favourites to outclass Bangladesh. However, they mustn't take the Tigers lightly, as they are high on confidence after a morale-boosting series win over Shan Masood's men.