ICC World Test Championship: Kane Williamson & Co's road to the final

After the postponement of the South Africa vs Australia Test series, New Zealand have become the first team to reach the ICC World Test Championship Final. The Kane Williamson-led side has reached a step closer to fulfilling its championship aspirations, whereas it remains to be seen which team would join them for the ultimate showdown at Lords. New Zealand's journey was not a smooth one in the competition, and they had to toil hard in order to redeem themselves after an ordinary start. 

WTC 2021 final: a look at New Zealand's inspiring journey 

New Zealand did not have an ideal start to their campaign as they faced an embarrassing loss against Sri Lanka at the Galle. However, the Kiwis staged a turnaround in the subsequent encounter and claimed a crucial win in the second Test match of the series. They earned a total of 60 points as they levelled the series with a comprehensive victory. 

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Their next assignment proved to be their worst series of the ICC World Test Championship. Kane Williamson & Co. toured to Australia where the two cricketing giants battled it out in three Test matches. The visitors were completely outplayed in the series, and they ended up losing all three fixtures. It was only in February 2020 that New Zealand started their dominant run. 

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The team performed exceptionally well in their home series against the Virat Kohli-led Indian side. The home team registered victories in both the contests and made their intentions clear with a dominant performance against a spirited Indian line-up that was unbeaten in the ICC World Championship up to that point. The series win took their tally to 180. 

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The West Indies were the first team they took on after their COVI-19 enforced sabbatical. The Kiwis whitewashed the West Indies side in the two-match series and achieved a similar feat against Pakistan as well. They have scored 420 points in the championship with 70 percentage points. New Zealand are placed second on the World Test Championship standings and have already qualified for the Final. The team who will join them for the WTC 2021 final will be decided based on the India vs England Test series. 

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India, who currently are at the top of the World Test Championship standings with 71.7 percentage points will have to win the home series by at least a two-match margin to make it to the Final. England, who are fourth with 68 percentage points, also have an outside chance if they manage to win the Indian vs England Test series by 3-0, 4-0, or 3-1.

Image source: AP