WTC standings: New Zealand climbs to second place after series win over West Indies

Mount Maunganui [New Zealand], December 22 (ANI): New Zealand have jumped to the second place on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings 2025-27 with an emphatic 323-run win against the West Indies in the final Test of the three-match series at Bay Oval on Monday, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The Black Caps wrapped up the triumph through day five's play at Bay Oval, with left-arm seamer Jacob Duffy showcasing the class with the ball and ensuring he collected the Player of the Series award.
Duffy picked up 5/42 in the West Indies' second innings as the visitors were bundled out for just 138 while chasing a mammoth target of 462 runs. Overall, the left-arm seamer picked up 23 wickets across the three-match series, helping New Zealand to win a 2-0 series triumph.
The left-arm fast bowler also shattered the record of Kiwi great Richard Hadlee for the most wickets for New Zealand (80) in a calendar year.
"I saw that list (most wickets in a calendar year) at lunch time, and there were some cool names on there, so to be up there on any sort of list with those sort of names was special," Duffy admitted, as quoted by ICC.
The series victory has helped the Black Caps surpass South Africa and move into second place in the World Test Championship standings, with trans-Tasman rivals Australia the only side ahead of them.
Australia are unbeaten in the ongoing WTC 2025-27 cycle. Australia have also retained the Ashes after defeating England in the Adelaide Test, taking an unbeaten 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match series.
The Black Caps will next take on England in a three-match World Test Championship series in the middle of next year. The West Indies remain ninth in the standings, with their next home series scheduled for mid-2023 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. (ANI)