Cricket
Best World Test Championship Team: Australia, India, NZ Ranked
The new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle began in June 2025 and is set to wrap up with the final at the iconic Lord’s in two years’ time. The biennial contest has reignited interest in the red-ball format, which has long been under pressure from the newer T20 and ODI games. New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have won the WTC since its inception in 2019, with India and England also ending in the top spots.
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Pat Cummins of Australia lifts the ICC World Test Championship Mace//Getty Images
Each of these nations would be strong contenders for the fourth edition, but which of them has been regular in modern Test cricket rankings?
SportsBoom has ranked the greatest World Test Championship team through statistical analysis and expert views, combined for a final score.
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Best WTC Side
This WTC winners comparison combines a statistical analysis of their results (championship outcomes and win percentage) with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking to determine the SB Market Index.
Industry Insights
This is a curated analysis from top 10 cricketing and sports media sources measuring how prominently each nation is featured in discussions of the ‘best’, ‘most consistent’, or ‘most dominant’ team of the WTC era.
Industry Insights
| Source Name | Australia | South Africa | New Zealand | India | England |
| ICC Official Site – WTC Final Recaps | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ESPNcricinfo – ‘Team of the WTC Cycle’ analysis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cricbuzz – ‘Ranking the WTC Contenders’ feature | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Wisden – ‘The Test Powerhouses of the Modern Era’ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Guardian – WTC Final Previews & Reviews | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cricket.com.au – ‘A Look at the WTC Elite’ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sky Sports Cricket – ‘Who is the Best Test Team?’ debate | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reddit r/Cricket – WTC Fan Polls | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| The Cricketer – ‘Assessing the WTC Finalists’ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| TalkSPORT – "Ranking the World's Best Test Sides | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total Mentions | 10 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 4 |
SB Score
This score is calculated based on two key WTC metrics: championship result (60% weightage, with Champions=1.0, Runners-up=0.6, 4th=0.2) and overall win percentage (40% weightage).
SB Score
| Team | Matches | Win Percentage | Best WTC Result(s) | SB Score |
| Australia | 57 | 63.15% | Champions (2021–2023) | 1.000 |
| South Africa | 41 | 53.65% | Champions (2023–2025) | 0.908 |
| New Zealand | 39 | 48.71% | Champions (2019–2021) | 0.865 |
| India | 60 | 53.33% | Runners-up (x2) | 0.655 |
| England | 69 | 49.27% | 4th place (x2) | 0.370 |
SB Market Index
To determine Test cricket's best modern team, the analytical SB Score was combined with the expert consensus Industry Insights to determine the SB Market Index.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Team | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Australia | 1.000 | 10 | 8.200 |
| 2 | India | 0.655 | 9 | 7.331 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 0.865 | 7 | 5.773 |
| 4 | South Africa | 0.908 | 3 | 2.582 |
| 5 | England | 0.370 | 4 | 3.274 |
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson of New Zealand celebrates after winning//Getty Images
Australia: The Undisputed Kings of the WTC Era
Having entered the 2023-2025 cycle as the defending champions, Australia put on another title-worthy performance before falling to South Africa in the final.
This is summarily reflected in the Baggy Greens’ top ranking in the SB Market Index, which is driven by perfect score in both the SB Score and Industry Insights.
Australia’s status in the World Test Championship is almost unrivalled, with the highest win percentage and a title, as well as unanimous acclaim from experts.
In the first edition of the competition, the team finished third overall and finished second in the latest edition, coupled with a status as Australia - WTC champions.
Likely fuelled by falling short against South Africa, the Aussies are already top of the new edition table after dominating West Indies in their three July Test clashes.
India: The Consistent Finalists
Arguably the best to have not won the World Test Championship, India secured second place in this ranking due to their sheer consistency.
The cricketing super nation has reached two WTC finals - against Australia and New Zealand - and finished third in the most recent edition.
Even without the Test cricket mace, a very high Industry Insights score shows that India remains a strong favourite to win the title very soon.
Looking at the India WTC finals record, the country is certainly one of the most dominant and could look to make their mark in this cycle.
While 2025 has not been a convincing start for the Men in Blue, they have time and capacity to make up any ground lost against England.
New Zealand: The Inaugural Champions
As the first-ever winners six years ago, New Zealand continues to occupy a unique place in World Test Championship history.
This has resulted in a high ranking by the curated experts and a strong SB Score, which has positioned the Black Caps highly.
In the tournament editions since their 2019-2021 title, New Zealand finished sixth as defending champions and then fourth spot.
While not as consistent as some of the other nations on the list, the Black Caps have proven themselves capable of success.
New Zealand begins their new WTC cycle with a December Test series against West Indies, with a lot to prove to their critics.
Conclusion on the Hierarchy of Modern Test Cricket
To summarise the top WTC side ranked, Australia has shown its dominant status, mirroring their title and continued presence among the top sides.
India also emerged as a consistent challenger due to high media ratings, with inaugural champions New Zealand also placed near the top.
South Africa secured fourth place, as the reigning champions, with England needing to put in hard yards still to be ranked among the WTC elite.
The new World Test Championship cycle is already producing interesting results as teams like Sri Lanka chase redemption after time on the outs.
With the competition continuing to revitalise the longest format, there are many long and crucial days ahead for the nations eyeing the WTC mace.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.