Australia are currently at the top of the standings. They are in a good position to reach the finals but there are at least four other teams in contention.
The BCCI would probably aim to finish up the IPL by the end of May because England and Ireland will play one final Test at Lord's from June 1 to 4. The second ICC World Test Championship final will take place at The Oval a few days later.
Labuschagne, who was just two points behind Root before the two ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Tests completed over the past week, now enjoys a healthy lead at the top even as Root has slipped to fourth place behind Steve Smith and Babar Azam.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that his side is extremely excited about the opportunity they will be receiving in the next few months to play some of the best teams in the world in their Test summer, that could also give them an opportunity to play the final of the ICC World Test Champi
Two upcoming Test series, Australia's two-match series against West Indies at home and Pakistan's three-match home series against England, will be extremely pivotal in deciding which sides stay in the mix for the final
Australia will play their first match of the series against West Indies on December 4 at the Perth Stadium while the second and final match of the two-match series will take place on December 8-12 at the Adelaide Oval.
Maketa, who is currently the South Africa A coach and National Academy Lead, will take charge of the Test squad from December until early January as they prepare to face Australia in their penultimate series of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
New Zealand will play two Tests as part of their ICC World Test Championship title defence and three ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures from December 27 to January 15.
While they have always played high-profile clashes during the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy, the last bilateral series between both took place in January 2013