Brydon Carse, playing his third Test for England, picked up 10 wickets, including a second-innings five-wicket haul, as the visitors thrashed New Zealand by eight wickets at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The win may not have done much favour to England, who are all but out of the race to make the World Test Championship final, but it certainly helped India’s cause, who are currently in the midst of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.
India reclaimed the top spot in the WTC points table on last Monday after bouncing back from an unprecedented 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home to beat Australia by a record margin of 295 runs in Perth. The two-time WTC runner-up, hence, have nine wins from 15 matches in this cycle, resulting in a PCT of 61.11.
South Africa, who beat Sri Lanka in Durban by 233 runs in the first Test of the two-game series, where the visitors were folded for a record low of 42 runs, stand second in the table, with a PCT of 59.3, followed by Australia (57.7).
How did New Zealand’s loss to England help India?
Following the humiliating loss to the Kiwis at home, India’s dream of making the WTC final for the third straight time seemed improbable. India had to avoid defeat in the Border-Gavaskar series, or hold Australia to more than one draw.
As improbable as it looked, India did take one step towards what could be a miraculous turnaround as they beat Australia in the series opener, and exposed the hosts, which left many experts reversing their pre-series prediction in favour of the tourists.
Heading to Australia, India needed a PCT of at least 64.9 after the end of the series to guarantee a spot in the WTC final. However, following New Zealand’s loss against England, even a PCT of 59.6 – implying a score line of 3-1 in Australia – can help India go through the final, provided South Africa whitewash Sri Lanka at home.
However, if India win in Australia by 3-2, they will need Sri Lanka to hold Australia to at least one draw, when they host the Pat Cummins-led side next year in late January. In this scenario, India will be left with a PCT of 58.8 while Australia won’t be able to cross 57, implying a final with South Africa.
In case of a 2-2 draw in the Border-Gavaskar series, India would need Sri Lanka to beat the Aussies by 1-0 or more, which would leave Rohit Sharma’s men with a PCT of 55.3 and Australia wouldn’t be able to cross 53.5.
