Nobody circled Bangladesh in the summer diary. The sums say they should have. Here are the Proteas Bangladesh WTC points in one breath: each of the two Tests pays 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw and nothing for a defeat, so 24 are on the table. The ICC does not rank teams on points, though. It ranks them on the percentage of available points they have won, and South Africa begin the series second on 71.43, just behind New Zealand on 72.22. Work it through and one result stands apart. Leave aside the rare tie, and only a 2-0 series win leaves that percentage higher than it was before the first ball.
This was written before play on Sunday 15 November, so it deals with the maths, not the match.
Quick facts
- Competition: ICC World Test Championship 2025-27
- The series: two Tests. The Wanderers, Johannesburg, Sunday 15 to Thursday 19 November; SuperSport Park, Centurion, Monday 23 to Friday 27 November. Both start at 10:00 SAST
- Points per Test: win 12, tie 6, draw 4, defeat 0
- South Africa before the series: second, seven Tests, five wins, 71.43 per cent
- Bangladesh before the series: fifth, eight Tests, three wins, 45.83 per cent
- The prize: a place in the final at The Oval, London, from 9 to 13 June 2027, for the top two
The table before the first ball
These are the standings as at the ICC’s State of Play of 13 November 2026, published after Pakistan and Sri Lanka drew the first Test of their series.
| Pos | Team | Tests | Won | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 72.22 |
| 2 | South Africa | 7 | 5 | 71.43 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 9 | 69.23 |
| 4 | India | 11 | 5 | 51.52 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 8 | 3 | 45.83 |
| 6 | England | 16 | 7 | 38.54 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 7 | 1 | 33.33 |
| 8 | West Indies | 14 | 3 | 27.38 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 10 | 2 | 7.50 |
The ICC publishes percentages, not points, but the arithmetic hands them back. Seven Tests meant 84 points were available to South Africa, and 71.43 per cent of 84 is 60. That is five wins and nothing more: no draws, and no points lost for slow over rates. Bangladesh’s 45.83 from eight Tests is 44 points out of 96, which is three wins and two draws. Wisden’s points table after Bangladesh’s home series against West Indies shows the same records for both sides.
How South Africa got to 60 is worth a line. A 2-0 win in India, a shared series in Pakistan, then the comeback against Australia that turned 1-0 down into 2-1 up.
How 12 points become a percentage
For the whole competition from the beginning, our guide to how the World Test Championship works is the place to start. Here is the short version, with the ICC’s own rules behind each step.
- Every Test carries the same prize. The ICC’s regulations give 12 points for a win in any Test, whether the series has two matches or five. A Test at the Wanderers this week is worth exactly what a Test against Australia was worth in October.
- Points are turned into a share. The ICC takes the points a team has earned, removes any deducted for slow over rates, and divides by 12 for every Test the team has played. That figure, the points percentage, is what the table is sorted by.
- Level teams are split by series wins. If two sides finish on the same percentage, the one with more series wins goes higher. After that comes the percentage earned away from home, then the ICC men’s Test team rankings.
- Two teams reach the final. When every side has played its six series, three at home and three away, the top two meet at The Oval.
The fine print on over rates and rain is in World Test Championship points explained.
Proteas Bangladesh WTC points: what each result does
After this series South Africa will have played nine Tests, so the maximum on offer rises to 108. Here is every realistic outcome, assuming no ties and no over-rate deductions.
| Series result for South Africa | Points added | New total | New percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Won 2-0 | 24 | 84 | 77.78 |
| Won 1-0, one draw | 16 | 76 | 70.37 |
| Drawn 1-1 | 12 | 72 | 66.67 |
| Two draws | 8 | 68 | 62.96 |
| Lost 1-0, one draw | 4 | 64 | 59.26 |
| Lost 2-0 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
Look hard at the second row. A 1-0 series win, which most of us would take before the toss, still nudges South Africa down, from 71.43 to 70.37.
The reason is simple once you see it. To stay on 71.43, a team has to collect 71.43 per cent of the 12 points in every new Test, which is 8.57 points a match. A win and a draw average 8. Close, but not enough. Only a pair of wins keeps the line climbing.
The first Test has its own arithmetic. With 96 points then available, a win at the Wanderers would put South Africa on 75.00, a draw on 66.67 and a defeat on 62.50. On the table as it stood before play, 75.00 is higher than New Zealand’s 72.22, and the Black Caps’ next assignment is a home series against India.
A worked example: the same two results, in either order
Picture a 1-1 series. Say South Africa win in Johannesburg. They climb to 75.00, above New Zealand’s current 72.22. Then they lose in Centurion and drop to 72 points from 108, which is 66.67. On the table as it stood before the series, that is below Australia’s 69.23 as well as New Zealand.
Now flip it. Defeat at the Wanderers first, 62.50, then victory at SuperSport Park. The finishing figure is the same 66.67. The order changes the headlines on a Thursday afternoon. It never changes the sum.
Over rates can bite, too. Win 2-0 but end up a total of two full overs short across the two Tests, and it is 82 points instead of 84: 75.93, not 77.78.
What the series is worth to Bangladesh
The same rules apply to the visitors, from a lower base. Bangladesh have 44 points from eight Tests, so after this series they will have played ten, with 120 available.
- Bangladesh win 2-0: 68 points, 56.67, which would lift them above India’s current 51.52.
- Drawn 1-1: 56 points, 46.67.
- Two draws: 52 points, 43.33.
- South Africa win 2-0: Bangladesh stay on 44 and slip to 36.67, below England’s current 38.54.
Their cycle then ends with two home Tests against England. Do not mistake them for passengers, either: the ICC’s own summary of their campaign includes a Test win in Australia.
Common misunderstandings
“Bangladesh are bonus points.” There is no such thing. A Test against Bangladesh is worth 12 points, the same as one against Australia, and a draw costs South Africa exactly as much here as it would anywhere else.
“A series win is a series win.” For the series-wins tie-breaker, yes. For the percentage, a 1-0 with a draw leaves South Africa lower than they started.
“Top of the table in November means a ticket to The Oval.” Only the final table counts. New Zealand have played six Tests and have ten to come, four of them against Australia. South Africa have seven left: these two, then three at home to England from 17 December to 7 January, then two in Sri Lanka.
Why it matters this season
South Africa are the defending champions. They beat Australia by five wickets at Lord’s in the 2025 final, and to defend that title they have to finish in the top two. The margins up there are thin: before this series, the first three sides on the table were separated by less than three percentage points.
That is why a fortnight against the fifth-placed side matters more than the opposition’s reputation suggests. Temba Bavuma‘s side play 14 Tests in this cycle, so by the end each one is worth 12 of 168 available points, about 7.14 percentage points of the final figure. Win all seven that remain and the ceiling is 85.71.
One more thing: a series win of any kind would be South Africa’s third of the cycle, after India and Australia, and series wins are the ICC’s first tie-breaker.
For the team news, the conditions and the history between the sides, read our first Test preview. This page is the scoreboard behind the scoreboard.
Frequently asked questions
How many WTC points are the Proteas v Bangladesh Tests worth?
Each Test is worth 12 points to the winner, 4 to each side for a draw, 6 each for a tie and nothing for a defeat, so the two-Test series carries 24 points in all. The ICC ranks the table on the percentage of available points won, not on the total.
Where are South Africa on the World Test Championship table before the Bangladesh series?
Second, on 71.43 per cent from seven Tests and five wins, as at the ICC’s State of Play of 13 November 2026. New Zealand lead on 72.22, Australia are third on 69.23 and Bangladesh fifth on 45.83.
Does a 1-0 series win help South Africa’s WTC percentage?
Not if the other Test is drawn. A win and a draw would take South Africa to 76 points from 108, or 70.37, which is below the 71.43 they started with. Barring a tie, only a 2-0 win raises their percentage, to 77.78.
Can the Proteas go top of the WTC table against Bangladesh?
On the table as it stood before the series, yes. A win in the first Test would take South Africa to 75.00, above New Zealand’s 72.22, and two wins would take them to 77.78. Other teams’ results can change the picture in the meantime.
How many Tests do South Africa have left in the 2025-27 cycle?
Seven: the two against Bangladesh, three at home to England from 17 December to 7 January, and two away in Sri Lanka. The top two on the final table meet at The Oval from 9 to 13 June 2027.