Who can reach World Test Championship final? India, Australia and South Africa the frontrunners to make Lord's

The race to reach the World Test Championship Final next summer is hotting up with five sides realistically left in the running.

England are not one of those, with too many defeats and over-rate indiscretions all but ending their hopes, but Australia, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are still standing, with the first three the frontrunners.

The Black Caps' hopes suffered a blow when both they and England were penalised three World Test Championship points and fined 15 per cent of their match fees for slow over-rates in the recent first Test in Christchurch of their ongoing three-match series.

The final of the World Test Championship will be held at Lord's from June 11.

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What does each side need?

India

Remaining matches = four in Australia

India need to win three of their final four Tests in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) to guarantee their spot at Lord's.

They returned to the top of the table after thumping Australia by 295 runs in the series-opening Perth Test.

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India were beaten finalists in the first two WTC finals, going down to New Zealand in Southampton at the end of the 2019-21 cycle and then defeated by Australia at The Kia Oval in the 2023 showpiece.

Australia

Remaining matches = four at home to India; two in Sri Lanka

Reigning champions Australia will reach their second-straight World Test Championship final if they win five of their final six Tests in the programme. Anything less, and they risk being usurped.

South Africa

Remaining matches = one at home to Sri Lanka, two at home to Pakistan

Three wins from three will do for the Proteas and they will fancy their chances at home to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. One draw or loss may still be enough, but they would need a favour from others.

Sri Lanka

Remaining matches = one in South Africa, two at home to Australia

After defeat to South Africa in Durban - a game in which they were rolled for their lowest Test score of 42, subsiding in less than 14 overs - Sri Lanka must win all three of their remaining matches to stand a chance of making the final.

New Zealand

Remaining matches = two at home to England

New Zealand's eight-wicket defeat to England in Christchurch, plus three docked points for slow over-rates, was a massive dent to the Black Caps' hopes and even victories over Ben Stokes' side in Wellington and Hamilton may not be enough.

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How does the points system work?

Each of the nine sides - Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies - play six series (three at home and three away).

With the teams not playing an equal number of matches, the table is determined by percentage of points won, with the 12 points awarded for a win getting you 100 per cent, the six for a tie 50 per cent and the four for a draw 33.3 per cent.

If you lose a game, you leave with nothing.

Teams can lose points for over-rate infringements, as England and Australia did during The 2023 Ashes and, most recently, the series-opening Test between Stokes' side and New Zealand.

England were deducted a whopping 19 points in total for slow over-rates in the first, second, fourth and fifth Tests of last year's Ashes, while their indiscretion in Christchurch cost them a further three - taking their total to a staggering 22 overall.

Watch the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka, in Gqeberha, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 7.30am, Thursday.