WTC 2023-25 Standings After PAK vs ENG 2nd Test: Pakistan Move Out of Bottom Spot, England Remain Fourth

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Pakistan moved out of the bottom spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings after a 152-run victory over England in the second Test at Multan Cricket Ground in Multan on Friday (October 18).

Exactly a week after suffering an innings and 47 runs loss to England, Shan Masood’s Pakistan bounced back to register their first Test win on home soil since February 2021 and in the process levelled the three-match series 1-1.

Opting to bat first on the same pitch as the series opener, Pakistan rode on debutant Kamran Ghulam’s century and Saim Ayub’s 77 to post 366 in their first innings before Sajid Khan-led spin attack bamboozled Ben Stokes’ England and bundled them out for 291.

With a 75-run lead, Pakistan added 221 more in their second innings before falling to the English spin duo of Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach. However, Salman Ali Agha scored 63 to ensure England chased 297 in the fourth innings on a slow surface.

While Sajid Khan had claimed 7 wickets in the first innings, Nouman Ali accounted for 8 wickets in the second innings as Pakistan bowled out England for 144 in the final innings to end a six-Test losing streak.

With this result, England remained on fourth spot in the WTC standings and kept slim hopes of challenging the current third-placed team Sri Lanka for a World Test Championship final spot.

With nine wins in 18 matches, England moved to 43.06 WTC win percentage, while Pakistan moved to eighth following their third win in nine Tests. The victory saw their win percentage move to 25.93. Both teams are unlikely to be challenging for WTC final spot. Here is a look at the latest WTC standings:

WTC 2023-25 Standings After PAK vs ENG 2nd Test on October 18, 2024

England can improve their chances of getting closer to the third spot in the remaining Test in Rawalpindi, while Pakistan will hope to climb up the standings and avoid finishing last after a top two spot is impossible now.

New Zealand also can improve their position this month, but face a monumental task of doing that as they face pace-setter India in their own backyard. India are locked in a battle with New Zealand in the 1st Test, which started on October 16 in Bengaluru.

Bangladesh and South Africa also will be locked in Test action later this month. Here is a look at the Test matches of the WTC 2023-25 cycle scheduled for the month of October:

WTC Matches Schedule For October 2024

• October 21-25: Bangladesh vs South Africa 1st Test - Dhaka
• October 24-28: Pakistan vs England 3rd Test - Rawalpindi
• October 24-28: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test - Pune
• October 29-November 2: Bangladesh vs South Africa 2nd Test - Chattogram