New Delhi: Australia defeated India by 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the second consecutive time. The Men in Blue made a great start in the five-match series by winning the first Test in Perth but the Aussies made a stunning comeback and won the next three matches out of the four to win the series.
The victory marked Australia’s first-ever Test series triumph against India since 2014-15. They will face South Africa in the WTC final at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 11. South Africa secured a spot in the WTC final after defeating Pakistan by two wickets in the first Test match at Centurion.
How can Pat Cummins and Co. still miss out on WTC final spot?
Currently, Australia have a point percentage of 63.73 and is in second position on the WTC points table. Pakistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka cannot surpass their point percentage under normal circumstances. Even if Sri Lanka whitewash Australia in the two-match Test series, their point percentage will drop to 57.02 while Sri Lanka’s will reach to 53.85 point percentage. In this case, Australia will hold onto their WTC final spot.
The only scenario the Aussies could miss out on the WTC final spot is because of the points deduction due to the slow over rate. If Pat Cummins and Co. lose eight points as a deduction and Sri Lanka also manage to win the series by 2-0, then the islanders will qualify for the WTC final.
During the fourth Ashes Test, Australia were docked 10 WTC points for a slow-over rate while England received a 19-point penalty across the series. Pakistan also faced a six-point penalty earlier this year during the two-match test series against Bangladesh.
Pat Cummins and Co. managed to avoid any slow-over rate penalties in the Sydney Test as they bowled out India under 80 overs in both innings of the match. However, since the spinners will have to bowl extra overs in Sri Lanka due to the slow pitches, the over-rates are unlikely to come into the picture.
Australia defeated India by 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
