New Zealand crushed the West Indies by 323 runs on Monday (December 22) to win the third Test of the three-match series. In the final match of the West Indies all-format tour of New Zealand, the visitors could only manage to score 138 runs in their second innings at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui in reply to the 462-run target set by the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) winners.
Fast bowler Jacob Duffy, who was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 auction on December 16, picked up 5 wickets for the Black Caps, and three Windies batters were sent back to the pavilion by spinner Ajaz Patel.
The win in Mount Maunganui helped New Zealand secure a second straight over the Roston Chase-led side and seal the three-match series with a scoreline
of 2-0.
The win also helped New Zealand rise from third to second position in the WTC 2025-27 points table. The 2021 WTC winners now have 28 points and 77.77 PCT%. They leapfrogged South Africa, who have 75 PCT% to their credit.
The West Indies, on the other hand, remain at the bottom of the points table with 4.16 PCT% (from 4.76 PCT%) and their chances of finishing in the top two and qualifying for the WTC 2027 final are all but over now.
The Caribbeans have lost seven out of eight Tests played so far in the ongoing WTC cycle.
Updated WTC 2025-27 points table after 3rd New Zealand-West Indies Test in Mount Maunganui
| POSITION | TEAM | MATCHES | WINS | DEFEATS | DRAW | POINTS | PENALTY | PCT% |
| 1. | Australia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 2. | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 77.77 |
| 3. | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 75.00 |
| 4. | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 66.67 |
| 5. | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 50.00 |
| 6. | India | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 48.15 |
| 7. | England | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 26 | 2 | 27.08 |
| 8. | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 16.67 |
| 9. | West Indies | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4.16 |
World No. 1 Test team Australia crushed England by 82 runs in the third Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, and they continue to top the WTC 2025-27 points table.
The Baggy Greens have won all six matches played so far in the ongoing WTC cycle, and they have 72 points and 100 PCT% to their credit. England remain at the 7th position. The Poms have only managed to win two out of eight matches in WTC 2025-27.
India are in sixth place with 48.15 PCT%. The two-time WTC losing finalists have won four out of nine matches played so far in the ongoing WTC cycle.
