WTC 2023-25 Standings After NZ vs ENG 2nd Test: England Leapfrog New Zealand, End Kiwis Final Hopes

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WTC Final 2025: England leapfrogged New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings after a thumping 323-run win in the second Test of the three-match series at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Sunday (December 8).

Ben Stokes-led England claimed an unassailable lead in the series after back to back wins over the Black Caps in their own backyard after centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root as well as some brilliant bowling by Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Stokes and Chris Woakes.

Set an improbable target 583 in the fourth innings, New Zealand could only manage to post 259 as Tom Blundell’s century was just not enough with rest of the Kiwi batters not putting up a fight in the run chase.

Earlier, England rode on Brook’s century to post 280 before bundling out New Zealand for 125 thanks to Carse and Atkinson’s four-wicket hauls. The visitors then rode on Root’s 36th ton to post 427/6 declared before bowling out the hosts for 259.

With the comprehensive win, England leapfrogged New Zealand to take the fifth position in the WTC standings. Stokes’ side now have a win percentage of 45.24 per cent following 11 wins, a draw and 9 defeats in 21 matches.

New Zealand, on the other hand, slipped to the sixth spot in the World Test Championship standings with a point percentage of 44.23 per cent following six wins and seven defeats in 13 matches. Both England and New Zealand were penalised for slow over-rate in the first Test.

Both England and New Zealand are out of contention in the WTC final race, but the two sides will still look to finish their cycle on a positive note when they clash next week. Here is a look at the latest WTC standings followed by the remaining matches in WTC 2023-25:

WTC 2023-25 Standings After NZ vs ENG 2nd Test on December 8, 2024

Apart from England and New Zealand, the WTC final chasing South Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Australia will also be in red ball action this coming days. Here is a look at the Test matches of the WTC 2023-25 cycle scheduled for the rest of December:

WTC Matches Schedule For December 2024

• December 14-18: New Zealand vs England 3rd Test - Hamilton
• December 14-18: India vs Australia 3rd Test - Brisbane
• December 26-30: India vs Australia 4th Test - Melbourne
• December 26-30: South Africa vs Pakistan 1st Test - Centurion