Australia complete West Indies sweep to close in on World Test Championship final

Dec 12, 2022

Australia complete West Indies sweep to close in on World Test Championship final Image

With a commanding 419-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test here on Sunday, Australia has taken a step closer to securing their berth in next year's ICC World Test Championship final.

The fourth day of the match saw the World Test Championship pacesetters take the series 2-0, with bowler Michael Neser removing Marquino Mindley for a duck to seal the victory.

It means that Australia advances higher in the World Test Championship standings. The Australians currently have an amazing 75 percent win percentage.

Later this week, Pat Cummins' team will play host to South Africa in a three-match series that will begin in Brisbane. After that, they will go to India for a challenging four-test series in February and March that could determine whether two sides advance to the final of the following year.

Due to a quad injury, Cummins missed the demolition in Adelaide, but he is anticipated to recover in time to captain Australia in the opening Test against the Proteas, which begins at the Gabba on Saturday.

Due to a side strain, fellow pacer Josh Hazlewood is questionable for the game. Scott Boland and Neser, who both played well against the West Indies and have a chance to stay in Australia's starting lineup, performed well against them.

The West Indies series was extremely upsetting for them, and as a result of their two humiliating losses, they are no longer eligible to compete in the World Test Championship final in 2019.

While the Caribbean team battled for the majority of the first Test in Perth, the second Test in Adelaide was a different story, and the West Indies' 77 during the second innings was their lowest score in a Test in Australia and second lowest overall against the Australians.

The West Indies suffered their biggest defeat (in terms of runs) in a Test match, dropping behind England and to seventh place overall in the World Test Championship rankings after scoring 40.91 percent win-percentage.