Under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, England defeated Australia on the second day (Saturday, December 27) in the low-scoring fourth Test of the Ashes 2025-26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The result has affected the standings of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27, changing the teams’ positions in the table.
England ended their long wait for success in Australia by defeating Australia in the fourth Ashes Test. This was England’s first Test win on Australian soil in 15 years. The Boxing Day Test ended in just six sessions. Chasing a target of 175, England wrapped up the game quickly to remain in the five-match Ashes series.
On the second day, due to the dominance of England’s fast bowlers, Australia was out for 132 runs.
Australia’s second innings ended soon after as England’s fast bowlers took full advantage of it. Australia were all out for 132 runs in only 34 overs. Brayden Carse was the visiting team’s best bowler with figures of 4 for 34, while captain Ben Stokes took three wickets to dismiss the lower order.
Marnus Labuschagne was out after scoring 8 runs. Travis Head, who was looking dangerous, was bowled by Carse on 46 runs. Usman Khawaja was out for zero on the second ball and Alex Carey was out for 4 runs. Steve Smith and Cameron Green added 31 runs.
However, Australia collapsed again and lost four wickets for only 13 runs. Green was dismissed for 19 and Carse dismissed Michael Neser and Mitchell Starc in the same over. Smith remained unbeaten on 24 runs and Jhye Richardson became the last wicket. Gus Atkinson left the field with a suspected hamstring injury.
Updated ICC World Test Championship points table (WTC table) revealed after AUS vs ENG 4th Test
The defeat was Australia’s first defeat in the current World Test Championship cycle after seven matches. However, Australia tops the list with 85.71 points percentage.
New Zealand and South Africa are at second and third place respectively. England gained valuable ground as their PCT improved to 35.18. India are sixth in the table with four wins, four losses and one draw after nine matches.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan have also been placed above India but both have played only two matches each. At the bottom, Bangladesh and West Indies are yet to register a win in the current WTC cycle.
Here is the updated ICC World Test Championship points table:
| Situation | Team | played | won | lost | Drag | dead | score | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 85.71 |
| 2 | new zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 77.78 |
| 3 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 6 | India | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 48.15 |
| 7 | England | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 35.19 |
| 8 | bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 9 | west indies | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4.17 |
Also read: For the first time in 123 years! 20 wickets fell on the first day of the Ashes Test between Australia and England.
