Hopes dashed: Proteas can't reach World Test Championship final anymore

Shukri Conrad's new broom sweeping through the Proteas Test team is for good reason: it comes at a time when it's impossible for the national side to reach the final of the current World Test Championship (WTC).

South Africa currently boast 76 log points, which is the fourth-highest behind Australia (136), England (124) and India (123), but are notably ahead of England on the overall table because the ICC uses a point percentage system (PCT) to determine log positioning.

This formula - calculated as points awarded, divided by total points on offer, multiplied by 100 for the relevant team - has been specifically implemented to compensate for the disparity in the number of matches each country plays.

For example, England played no less than 22 Tests in the 2021-2023 cycle while Bangladesh only played 12.

PCT, thus, provides a fairer picture in terms of results.

                  PCT %   Matches     Points

Australia     70            19             160

India           57            18             123

SA               56            15             100

England      46            22             124

Even in the best-case scenario for the Proteas - they beat the West Indies 2-0 in the upcoming Test series starting next week, Australia rally to draw the series against India, and New Zealand whitewash Sri Lanka 2-0 - they still wouldn't end with a high-enough PCT to finish in the top two.

Ironically, though unlikely, if India do indeed lose twice against the Aussies, South Africa will miss out by 1 percentage point - 56% to India's 57%.

Furthermore, and this is still assuming the "best" outcome, it's frustrating to note that the Proteas would've made the final had they won one more Test somewhere during the cycle, for instance, not