Here’s how the World Test Championship Points Table stands after SL vs AUS 1st Test

Australia beat Sri Lanka with a dominant all-round performance in the first Test match of the two-match series in Galle on July 1, Friday. The visitors wrapped up the match in just three days and consolidated their place as the table-toppers in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points table. Sri Lanka fall to sixth on the table, going below Pakistan and West Indies.

All was not lost in the second innings for Sri Lanka, although they trailed by a considerable margin of 109. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne began the innings sharply, with fellow opener Pathum Nissanka, scoring 17 of the first over. But once ace spinner Nathan Lyon arrived, it was the beginning of Sri Lanka’s collapse.

The Aussie spinners completely took the game away from the hosts, making most of the wicket that was offering a lot of turn. Lyon picked up four wickets in 11 overs for 31 runs, leg spinner Mitchell Swepson picked up two wickets for 34 runs in seven overs, and off-spinner Travis Head cleaned up the tail, picking up four wickets in 2.5 overs for 10 runs.

Australia and South Africa remain in the top two of the WTC table

The match ended in the first session of the third day as Australia, after taking the lead, bowled out Sri Lanka for only 113 runs. It was only academic for Aussie openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja to walk out and chase the target of five runs. And Warner alone finished it in four balls.

Meanwhile, South Africa remained in the second position on the WTC table for the cycle 2021-23, with five wins in seven matches, followed by India, Pakistan and West Indies. Sri Lanka were on fourth before the start of the Test match and now fall by two positions with three wins, as many losses, and one draw.

England, New Zealand and Bangladesh take the seventh, eighth and ninth positions respectively. The English side have only managed four wins in 15 games, and the Kiwis have won only two matches in nine. Bangladesh have managed one win in 10 games. The upcoming Test match between England and India is an important fixture for both the teams in the context of the WTC.

Here’s the latest World Test Championship points table: