All signs point to an India-Australia final for the second edition of the ICC World Test Championships as South Africa were handed another thrashing in the ongoing series Down Under on Thursday.
Yet again in the series, South Africa’s batting wilted against rampant top-ranked Australia on Thursday to lose the second Test in Melbourne by an innings and 182 runs and with it the series.
The visitors resumed day four on 15-1 and were all out for 204 just before tea to continue a poor tour after losing the opening Test in the three-match series at Brisbane by six wickets.
They had lost the first Test within two days in a result that saw India go up to second spot, a position they have since strengthened. India’s 58.93% points puts them behind Australia’s big lead of 78.57%. Pat Cummins and Co could increase it further with a 3-0 wrap against South Africa.
With these two defeats, South Africa have now slipped to fourth spot with their percentage dipping to 50% while India’s recent 2-0 series win in Bangladesh has seen them open up a decent lead in second spot.
The four Test matches coming up between India and Australia at the start of 2023 is all set to decide the finalists while teams like South Africa and Pakistan watch on from the outside to see if there is a chance.
Standings after Melbourne Test
| POS | TEAM | PCT (%) | PTS | MATCHES: W-L-D | SER | PEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AUSTRALIA | 78.57 | 132 | 10-1-3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | INDIA | 58.93 | 99 | 8-4-2 | 5 | -5 |
| 3 | SRI LANKA | 53.33 | 64 | 5-4-1 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | SOUTH AFRICA | 50 | 72 | 6-6-0 | 5 | 0 |
| 5 | ENGLAND | 46.97 | 124 | 10-8-4 | 6 | -12 |
| 6 | WEST INDIES | 40.91 | 54 | 4-5-2 | 5 | -2 |
| 7 | PAKISTAN | 38.89 | 56 | 4-6-2 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | NEW ZEALAND | 25.93 | 28 | 2-6-1 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | BANGLADESH | 11.11 | 16 | 1-10-1 | 6 | 0 |
