Australia secured a five-wicket win over England in the Sydney Test on Day 5, sealing the Ashes 2025-26 series 4-1 and reinforcing their dominance at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table. The 2023 WTC champions have now won seven out of eight Tests in the current cycle, suffering only one defeat.
Reflecting on the match, Australia captain Steve Smith said at the post-match presentation:
“It was nice to finish on a high note and we know the importance of every Test match in terms of WTC. It was a good game of Test cricket and it was a well-earned victory. It was a great wicket out there, it had a bit of everything.”
For England, led by Ben Stokes, the Sydney defeat marked their sixth loss in 10 Tests during the ongoing WTC cycle, further dimming their hopes of reaching a maiden WTC final. Their points percentage has dropped to 31.67, placing them above only Bangladesh and West Indies in the standings. England’s next assignment in the cycle is a home series against New Zealand in June 2026.
WTC 2025-27 Points Table (as of January 8, 2026)
Australia – Played: 8, Won: 7, Lost: 1, Draw: 0, Ded: 0, Points: 84, PCT: 87.50
New Zealand – Played: 3, Won: 2, Lost: 0, Draw: 1, Ded: 0, Points: 28, PCT: 77.78
South Africa – Played: 4, Won: 3, Lost: 1, Draw: 0, Ded: 0, Points: 36, PCT: 75.00
Sri Lanka – Played: 2, Won: 1, Lost: 0, Draw: 1, Ded: 0, Points: 16, PCT: 66.67
Pakistan – Played: 2, Won: 1, Lost: 1, Draw: 0, Ded: 0, Points: 12, PCT: 50.00
India – Played: 9, Won: 4, Lost: 4, Draw: 1, Ded: 0, Points: 52, PCT: 48.15
England – Played: 10, Won: 3, Lost: 6, Draw: 1, Ded: 2, Points: 38, PCT: 31.67
Bangladesh – Played: 2, Won: 0, Lost: 1, Draw: 1, Ded: 0, Points: 4, PCT: 16.67
West Indies – Played: 8, Won: 0, Lost: 7, Draw: 1, Ded: 0, Points: 4, PCT: 4.17
With focus now shifting to the T20 World Cup 2026, the WTC points table is expected to remain unchanged over the next two months. The next series in the WTC cycle will see Pakistan tour Bangladesh for a two-Test series. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have played two Tests each in this cycle, but Bangladesh is still searching for its first victory. West Indies remain the only team yet to register a win, having lost seven of their eight matches, with one draw under Roston Chase’s leadership.
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