Australia strengthens lead at top of World Test Championship after Ashes win, India still in hunt
After Australia’s dominant 4-1 Ashes victory over England in the 2025-26 series, the updated ICC World Test Championship standings show Australia firmly atop.
Last Updated: 07.24 PM, Jan 08, 2026
Australia consolidated their position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle after clinching a 4-1 series win over England in the 2025-26 Ashes. The comprehensive victory not only secured the famed urn but also significantly bolstered Australia’s points percentage, leaving them at the summit of the WTC standings with a commanding lead.
The final Test in Sydney saw Australia chase down a modest target to wrap up the series, completing a dominant campaign Down Under and highlighting their red-ball depth and consistency. Travis Head’s all-round contributions and Mitchell Starc’s impressive wicket haul were among the headlines from the series, underlining Australia’s balance and strength across batting and bowling departments.
For England, the defeat dents their hopes of a strong World Test Championship finish and leaves them entrenched near the lower end of the standings. With only three victories in 10 matches so far in the cycle, their percentage of points remains well below the teams in clear contention for the WTC final.
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Ded | Points | PCT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia (AUS) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 87.50 |
| 2 | New Zealand (NZ) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 77.78 |
| 3 | South Africa (SA) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka (SL) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 5 | Pakistan (PAK) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 6 | India (IND) | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 48.15 |
| 7 | England (ENG) | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 31.67 |
| 8 | Bangladesh (BAN) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 9 | West Indies (WI) | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4.17 |
Can India still qualify for the WTC 2025-27 final
India can still qualify for the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 final, but the path is extremely narrow and requires near-perfect results. India currently sit outside the top two on the WTC table after a heavy series defeat to South Africa dropped them to around fifth place with a points percentage (PCT) around the high-40s to low-50s range.
To finish in the top two and make the final, India must win a large majority of their remaining Test matches in the cycle, especially the tough tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand and the long home series vs Australia, since the qualification cut-off historically hovers around a ~60-65 % points percentage.
Mathematically, winning about six to seven of their 10 remaining Tests, with a couple of draws, could lift India’s PCT into contention. However, this requires consistent victories and very few defeats, because every match lost drops their percentage significantly
Where to watch IND vs NZ matches?
Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs New Zealand matches from January 11 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.