WTC 2023-25: Qualification Scenarios for India, Australia and Sri Lanka ahead of final
South Africa secured a place in the WTC Finals with a close win over Pakistan in Centurion while Australia, India and Sri Lanka will battle for the last spot in the last couple of series.
The first Test between South Africa and Pakistan turned out to be a thrilling game which went down to the wire where the Proteas managed to edge out a two-wicket win and became the first team to qualify for the WTC finals in June next year.
The South Africans had the hold on the game at the start, getting the visitors out for 211 runs with great bowling performances from Dane Paterson (5/61) and Corbin Bosch (4/63). Though the Pakistan pacers did cause some problems for South Africa and had them at 191-7 at one stage the knocks of Aiden Markram (89 off 144) and Bosch (81* off 93) made sure the hosts got a healthy lead.
Also Read - Twitter Reactions: South Africa pip Pakistan in Centurion thriller by two wickets
The second innings might have seen a bit of fight from Pakistan with some solid knocks from Babar Azam (50 off 85) and Saud Shakeel (84 off 113), but in the end, South Africa still managed to bowl them out for 237 thanks to a brilliant spell from Marco Jansen (6/52) and needed to chase down 148 to win the first Test. This might not look like an intimidating target but Pakistan’s seam bowling sensation Mohammad Abbas gave his team a chance with his spell of 6/54 and the Rainbow Nation was stranded at 99-8. However, the ninth-wicket partnership between Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada made sure South Africa won the Boxing Day Test and took the lead in the series.
India, Australia and Sri Lanka to fight for the final spot
There will be a battle between three sides - India, Australia, and Sri Lanka - with the BGT going on and Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka coming up.
India will have to win the last two Test matches to qualify for the finals and spoil the party for the Aussies and the Lankan Lions. However, if they win by a margin of 2-1 or draw the series they will have to keep their hopes on the Sri Lanka and Australia series, hoping the Sri Lankans win. If Australia win the BGT series it will be a battle between them and Sri Lanka in the two-match series in the Island Nation to make it to the finals.
Latest WTC 2023-25 Points Table:
| Position | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT (%) |
| 1 | SOUTH AFRICA | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 88 | 66.67 |
| 2 | AUSTRALIA | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 106 | 58.89 |
| 3 | INDIA | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 114 | 55.89 |
| 4 | NEW ZEALAND | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 81 | 48.21 |
| 5 | SRI LANKA | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 60 | 45.45 |
| 6 | ENGLAND | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 114 | 43.18 |
| 7 | BANGLADESH | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 8 | PAKISTAN | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 30.30 |
| 9 | WEST INDIES | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 24.24 |
*Last updated December 29, 2024, after South Africa and Pakistan's first Test at Centurion was won by the home team.
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