New Delhi, Aug 23 — India were handed a slight advantage in their quest for a spot in the World Test Championship final after Bangladesh suffered a defeat to Australia in the second Test match in Mackay on Sunday. India, who are ranked fifth and behind Bangladesh, now have a chance to go past them as they look to outclass Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo.
Bangladesh, who famously stunned the former WTC champions Australia for their maiden Test win Down Under, could not replicate the Darwin brilliance at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Tearaway speedster Mitchell Starc starred with a match haul of 10 wickets as he ripped apart the Bangla Tigers' batting line-up to set up an innings and 51-run win for the hosts. This salvaged some pride for the 2023 WTC champions, who were embarrassed by the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side in the first Test.
The result saw Australia gain again in the WTC points table, while Bangladesh lost crucial PCT as India received a favour. Australia firmed their No.1 spot in the nine-team table and now have 96 WTC points and a PCT of 80 from 10 matches (eight wins and two losses). South Africa follow them in second with 36 points and a PCT of 75 from four matches (three wins and one loss), while New Zealand are third, tallying 52 points and a PCT of 72.22 from six games (four wins, one loss, one draw).
Despite their loss, Bangladesh stay in fourth, but their PCT, which was 66.67 after the Darwin win, has dropped to 55.56 after the Mackay loss, which was their second defeat in six games in this WTC. India, on the other hand, are breathing down the neck of the fellow Asian side with 64 points and a PCT of 53.33 from 10 matches (five wins, four losses and one draw). India will surpass Bangladesh and will take the fourth spot if they win the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Their opponents, Sri Lanka, are a distant sixth with 20 points and a PCT of 33.33 from five matches (one win, two losses and two draws). England 29.76 PCT), West Indies (20.83 PCT) and Pakistan (19.05 PCT) follow them.