Updated World Test Championship table after Sri Lanka’s 2-0 victory over New Zealand
Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand in the second Test at Galle, strengthening their position at No.3 on the World Test Championship (WTC) table.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka secured a massive victory, winning by an innings and 154 runs. After choosing to bat first, they declared their first innings at 602-5. Kamindu Mendis, who was promoted up the order due to his strong start in Test cricket, led the charge with an unbeaten 182 from 250 balls.
Kamindu’s performance also tied him with the great Donald Bradman for being the second-fastest to reach 1,000 Test runs. He is on track to break several other long-standing records. Dinesh Chandimal (116), Angelo Mathews (88), and Kusal Mendis (106*) also made important contributions to help Sri Lanka reach their huge total.
In reply, New Zealand struggled badly and were all out for just 88 runs in their first innings – their lowest score against Sri Lanka in Test matches. Forced to follow on, it was the first time a team had to do so in Test cricket since April 2023.
Though Devon Conway (61), Tom Blundell (60), Glenn Phillips (78), and Mitchell Santner (67) tried to fight back, New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 360 runs.
With this win, Sri Lanka improved their standing on the WTC table, raising their points percentage from 50 to 55.56%. New Zealand, however, slipped from fourth to seventh place, with a points percentage of 37.5%. This move pushed England to fourth, Bangladesh to fifth, and South Africa to sixth.
ICC World Test Championship Points Table
Sri Lanka will now play a Test in November against South Africa while India travel to New Zealand for a Test series in October.
