WTC 2023-25 Standings After ENG vs SL 1st Test: England Leapfrog Three Spots After Victory Over Sri Lanka

England climbed up the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings after 5-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test of the three-match series at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday (August 24).

Power packed performances from Joe Root, Chris Woakes and Jamie Smith helped Ollie Pope's England successfully tackle a fighting Sri Lankan unit and take a 1-0 lead in the series on day 4 of the series opener.

WTC Standing after ENG vs SL 1st Test in Manchester

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were rescued from 113/7 to 236 following knocks from skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (74 off 84 balls) and debutant Milan Rathnayake (72 off 135 balls). Chris Woakes (3/32) and Shoaib Bashir (3/55) were the top bowlers for England.

In response, fine performances from middle order batters Root (42 off 57 balls) and Harry Brook (56 off 73 balls) followed by a century from Jamie Smith (111 off 148 balls) helped England to 358, and in the process claimed a lead of 122 runs. Ashitha Fernando (4/103) and Prabhat Jayasuriya (3/85) delivered fine spells for Sri Lanka.

In their second innings, the visitors once again found themselves in a trouble with the score reading 95/4. However, veterans Angelo Matthews (65 off 145 balls) and Dinesh Chandimal (79 off 119 balls) started the rescue act.

Later, in-form Kamindu Mendis slammed his second Test ton in five innings, scoring 113 off 183 balls to help Sri Lanka to 326, giving them a respectable lead of 204 runs. Woakes and Matthew Potts (3/47) took three wickets each to lead England bowling charts.

In reply, England was in a tight position at 70/3. However, Root's calm and composed half-century (62* off 128 balls) along withd contributions from Brook (32 off 68 balls) and Smith (39* off 48 balls) took England to a five wicket win.

As a result of the 5-wicket win in Manchester, England jumped three places, from seventh to fourth on the World Test Championship points table, leapfrogging South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, dropped to fifth on the standings with a 40.00 percent win-loss percentage, while England's win percentage improved to 41.07. Here is a look at the latest WTC standings:

WTC 2023-25 Standings After ENG vs SL 1st Test - World Test Championship Points Table on August 25, 2024

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win Percent	Points
India	9	6	2	1	68.51	74
Australia	12	8	3	1	62.50	90
New Zealand	6	3	3	0	50.00	36
England	14	7	6	1	41.07	69
Sri Lanka	5	2	3	0	40.00	24
South Africa	6	2	3	1	38.89	28
Pakistan	5	2	3	0	36.66	22
Bangladesh	4	1	3	0	25.00	12
West Indies	9	1	6	2	18.52	20

Sri Lanka, however, will have a chance to reclaim their top four spot in the next two Tests against England. Pakistan and Bangladesh also have a chance to change positions when they lock horns in a two-match Test series.

The lower half of the WTC table will see a little more change the coming week, when Test action takes centre stage with Pakistan hosting Bangladesh and England playing hosts to Sri Lanka.

Table-toppers India also will resume their Test action at home against Bangladesh in September, when Sri Lanka also host New Zealand. Here is a look at the Test matches of the WTC 2023-25 cycle scheduled for August, September and start of October: