cricket

Updated: Sep 10, 2019 09:08 IST

Australia retained the Ashes on England soil for the first time since 2001 and they had to dig in and be relentless and keep chipping away in the final hour as England’s lower order showed the top order what resistance means. The match headed towards another cliffhanger, but there was just enough fuel left in Australia to claim that final wicket and then leap for joy as they got their hands on the urn, all over again.

With his win, Australia have reached 56 points on the World Test Championship points table. However, despite all the efforts and the humdingers, Tim Paine’s men are still behind India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

So, what exactly is happening?

As per the stipulated rules, all Test series which fall under the World Test Championship will be alloted 120 points. Since India blanked West Indies in the 2-match series last month, they lead the table with the full quota of 120 points. New Zealand and Sri Lanka drew their series 1-1 and hence, both sides have earned 60 points each.

On the other hand, since the Ashes have 5 points, a win will give the side 24 points (120 points is divided into 5 matches) while a draw gives them 8 points. Hence, Australia, with 2 wins and 1 draw, have 56 points while England, with 1 win and 1 draw, have 32 points.

Here are the rules:

Matches in series (2) - Win/Tie/Draw - 60/30/20

Matches in series (3) - Win/Tie/Draw - 40/20/13

Matches in series (4) - Win/Tie/Draw - 30/15/10

Matches in series (5) - Win/Tie/Draw - 24/12/8

Despite retaining the Ashes, Australia would want to go full throttle and win the final match too to beef up their points, while England would want to draw level in the series. Even though Joe Root and men have lost the Ashes, they need to be focused on the larger picture - which is raking up points in their World Test Championship campaign.