Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship:
- 1.The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.
- 2.New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Both statements are wrong. In the 2019-21 World Test Championship the teams were ranked by the percentage of points they won, not by matches won, and the top two (India and New Zealand) reached the final. New Zealand finished ahead of England on percentage (70.0 against 61.4), even though England won more matches (11 against 7).
- ✗ 1. Because Covid-19 disrupted the schedule, the ICC changed the league standings from series points to the percentage of points won out of the points contested. The finalists were the top two on that percentage.
- ✗ 2. The final table gave India 72.2, New Zealand 70.0, Australia 69.2 and England 61.4 per cent. England won 11 of its 21 Tests and New Zealand 7 of its 11, so New Zealand was ahead on percentage, not on wins.
Remember · WTC 2019-21 ranked teams by percentage of points, not by matches won: India 72.2, New Zealand 70.0, Australia 69.2, England 61.4. India and New Zealand played the final.
Sources
- ICC, 'The ICC World Test Championship: The story so far' ↗ · reference work “The WTC league standings were originally to be determined based on points in each series but were changed to the percentage of points earned by teams due to the Covid disruption – The PCT is the percentage of points won out of the total number of points contested by each team.”
- New Zealand Cricket, ICC World Test Championship 2019 to 2021 final table (P, W, L, D, points, points %) ↗ · reference work “1 India 17 12 4 1 0 0 520 72.222 2 New Zealand 11 7 4 0 0 0 420 70 3 Australia 14 8 4 2 0 -4 332 69.167 4 England 21 11 7 3 0 0 442 61.389”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·