The decision by Australia to postpone their tour of South Africa has made the path to the World Test Championship final fairly clear.
The inaugural Test championship final is scheduled to be played at Lord's from June 18. According to the revised championship table which takes into consideration adjusted percentage points – to account for the cancellation of most cricket in 2020 – New Zealand are already through to the final as they can't go below their current second spot.
India are top of the standings with 71.7 (percentage of available points won) after their triumph in Australia while England are fourth on 68.7.
Australia are third on 69.2 and are almost certainly out of contention as both India and England have an extremely high chance of finishing in the top two.
So it will all boil down to the four-Test series between India and England which begins in Chennai on Friday.
Below are the scenarios revealed by the International Cricket Council where any one of India, England, and Australia can make it to the final at Lord's.
For India to qualify:
Virat Kohli's team need to win the series by the following margins: 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, 4-0. No other series result would suffice for the Indians.
For England to qualify:
The visitors will need to crate one of the biggest upsets in modern history. Joe Root's team have to win the series 4-0, 3-0 or 3-1. Keep in mind India have lost a total of three Tests at home in the last 10 years; two against England in 2012 and one against Australia in 2017.
For Australia to qualify:
England must win the series by margins of 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, India must 1-0, or the series should end in a draw.
