With 15 out of 27 series still to be played in the current World Test Championship cycle, Test cricket will become the centerpiece over the next few months as teams jostle to qualify for the final, at The Oval from June 9 to 13, 2027. In the last two cycles, the qualifying mark has exceeded 65% for three of the four finalists; the only exception was India making the final with 58.8% in 2023. In 2025, both finalists had more than 67% points. Here's a look at the team positions in the current cycle, and what they need to do to reach 60% and beyond.
Australia
Tests: 8, W-L-D: 7-1-0, Pct 87.50
Remaining series: vs Ban (h), SA (a), NZ (h), Ind (a) (14 Tests)
Australia have lost only 12 points out of the 96 on offer for them so far this WTC cycle. However, they have 14 Tests to go, the most among all nine teams. That includes five Tests in India early next year, a country where they have only won two of their last 12 Tests. India's home form has nosedived in the last couple of years, but Australia will still want to seal their qualification chances before the start of that series, especially with six home Tests coming up against Bangladesh and New Zealand. To end up with 60% score, they need 75 more points, which converts into six wins and a draw. If they manage eight wins and six losses, they'll finish with 68.18%.
South Africa
Tests: 4, W-L-D: 3-1-0, Pct 75.00
Remaining series: vs Aus (h), Ban (h), Eng (h), SL (a) (10 Tests)
South Africa's three away series this cycle are all in the subcontinent - in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka - and they've done exceptionally well in that examination so far, drawing 1-1 in Pakistan and shocking India 2-0. That means they have the luxury of playing eight of their 10 remaining Tests at home, though three of those are against table-toppers Australia.
To get to 60%, South Africa need 65 more points, which they can get with five wins and a couple of draws. Six wins and four losses in their remaining matches will take them to 64.28%, while a 7-3 output will mean 71.43, and near-certain qualification.
New Zealand
Tests: 6, W-L-D: 4-1-1, Pct 72.22
Remaining series: vs Ind (h), Aus (a), SL (h), Pak (a) (10 Tests)
New Zealand are currently sitting pretty after series wins against West Indies (home) and England (away), but among their 10 remaining Tests is a tough four-Test examination in Australia. From the remaining 120 points on offer, they'll need 64 to achieve 60%, which they can get with five wins and a draw. Four of those wins could come in their home season, if they win all Tests against India and Sri Lanka. For a place in the final, though, they'll probably need more than just home success: with six wins and three losses they'll finish on 64.58%, while seven wins and three losses will leave them on 70.83%.
Bangladesh
Tests: 4, W-L-D: 2-1-1, Pct 58.33
Remaining series: vs Aus (a), WI (h), SA (a), Eng (h) (8 Tests)
Bangladesh have done well in their campaign so far - the highlight being the 2-0 series win against Pakistan - but tougher examinations await them, with away series against Australia and South Africa coming up. Even if they win all four of their remaining home Tests against West Indies and England, Bangladesh will need to win at least one of their away Tests in Australia and South Africa, or draw three of them, to make it to 60%.
India
Tests: 9, W-L-D: 4-4-1, Pct 48.15
Remaining series: vs SL (a), NZ (a), Aus (h) (9 Tests)
The 2-0 home defeat against South Africa last year has left India with much catching up to do. To get to 60%, they need 78 more points from their nine remaining Tests, which translates into six wins and two draws (80 points), or seven wins (84). Five of those nine Tests are versus Australia, a team against whom they have a massive 12-2 advantage in their last five home series, dating back to 2008.
However, India's recent home form has been anything but convincing, with 3-0 and 2-0 series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa. They'll have to do much better against Australia to give themselves any chance of qualifying for their third WTC final. However, before that, India also have to overcome the challenges of away series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
In the last cycle, the finalists finished with 69.44 (South Africa) and 67.54% (Australia). Seven wins and two losses will take India to 62.96%, while eight wins and a loss will see them finish on 68.52%, assuming they aren't docked any penalty points. Thus, India have very little margin for error through the rest of their WTC campaign.
Sri Lanka
Tests: 4, W-L-D: 1-1-2, Pct 41.67
Remaining series: vs Ind (h), Pak (a), NZ (a), SA (h) (8 Tests)
Sri Lanka have completed only two series so far this cycle - a 1-0 win against Bangladesh and a defeat by the same margin against West Indies - which means they have a busy season of Test cricket coming up. To get to 60%, they need 67 more points, which they will achieve with five wins and a couple of draws, or six wins. Hence they need to make the most of their home Tests, starting with two against India from August 15. Six wins and two losses in their remaining eight Tests will take them to 63.89%, while seven wins and a loss will lift them to 72.22.
England
Tests: 13, W-L-D: 4-8-1, Pct 24.36
Remaining series: vs Pak (h), SA (a), Ban (a) (8 Tests)
As if a 4-8 win-loss record wasn't bad enough, England have also been horribly tardy with over-rates in this WTC cycle, being docked 14 points so far. That means 52 points from four wins and a draw has been reduced to 38. Even if they win each of their eight remaining Tests without losing further penalty points, they'll only finish on 53.17%, which is highly unlikely to be enough for a spot in the final.
Pakistan
Tests: 6, W-L-D: 2-4-0, Pct 22.22
Remaining series: vs Eng (a), SL (h), NZ (h) (7 Tests)
With two wins and four losses, Pakistan have had a poor campaign so far, further compounded by eight penalty points. If they win all seven remaining Tests, they'll finish on 64.1%. Six wins and a draw will leave them on 58.97, while six wins and a loss will drop the percentage further to 56.41.
West Indies
Tests: 12, W-L-D: 2-8-2, Pct 20.83
Remaining series: vs Ban (a) (2 Tests)
With just two Tests remaining, the maximum that West Indies can finish on is 32.14%.