Galle, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka have taken a giant step towards the World Test Championship (WTC) final after their dominant win over New Zealand in the second Test match in Galle on Sunday (Sep 29). A win at home with a margin of an innings and 154 runs sees them third in the WTC standings with only India and Australia sitting above them. The Islanders will now keep close eyes on the India-Australia Border-Gavaskar series starting on November 22 as it will have huge consequences on who makes it to the final at Lord’s in June 2025.

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Sri Lanka go third in the WTC standings

Entering the contest after a narrow 63-run win in the opening affair, Sri Lanka ran riot in the second contest after Kamindu Mendis structured their win. The latest win sees Sri Lanka in third place with a PCT (win percentage) of 55.56 from nine matches. They are in fact one of four teams yet to draw a match in the current WTC cycle. In nine matches they have won five and lost four keeping them in the hunt for the final which will take place at the Lord’s in June 2025.

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New Zealand on the other hand suffered a huge downfall as they now sit seventh with a PCT of 37.50 and have won only three matches in the current cycle while losing five.

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India-Australia series to have huge consequences

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While Sri Lanka are third at the time of writing, they could automatically move into the top two if either India or Australia drop points in the five-match Test series which starts in November. Interestingly, the head-to-head affair will result in at least one team dropping points. Sri Lanka on the other hand, will look to get the better of South Africa in a two-match Test series in November and December while they also face Australia at the end of January.