New Zealand Top WTC 2025-27 Table as South Africa Climb to Second and Australia Drop to Third
South Africa's 176-run win over Australia in the third Test at Newlands has reshuffled the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 table. New Zealand are now first with a points percentage of 72.22. South Africa have moved up to second on 71.43. Australia have dropped to third on 69.23 after losing the series 2-1.
Before the series result, Australia led the table, followed by New Zealand and South Africa. After Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs, their percentage stood at 81.82. South Africa were third at that stage with 60.00. New Zealand were second on 72.22.
The next two Tests changed the picture. South Africa won the second Test at St George's Park and then the decider in Cape Town. That lifted their percentage from 66.67 to 71.43 and took them past Australia and into second place. Australia lost two Tests in a row and fell from first to third. It was a sharp drop for a team that had won the opening Test of the series.
The gap at the top is very small. New Zealand lead South Africa by just 0.79 percentage points. Australia are only 2.99 points behind the leaders.
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 2 | South Africa | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 71.43 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 108 | 69.23 |
| 4 | India | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 68 | 51.52 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 47.62 |
New Zealand have played only six Tests in this cycle so far, fewer than South Africa and far fewer than Australia. They have won four, lost one and drawn one. That small number of matches means their percentage can move quickly with each result. Australia have played 13 matches, so each result moves their number by less.
The results also tie in with the ICC Test rankings. South Africa have replaced Australia as the number one Test team. They won the series 2-1 after trailing 1-0, with Simon Harmer taking 6 for 16 in the final innings and Marco Jansen named Player of the Series.
India are fourth on 51.52 and Bangladesh are fifth on 47.62. Both teams are well behind the top three in the table.