England move three spots up in WTC rankings following win over West Indies in 2nd Test

Dubai [UAE], July 22 (ANI): England have moved off the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings and kept in touch with the competition pacesetters with a comprehensive 241-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test of their series in Nottingham.

The hosts wrapped up the series-clinching triumph late on the fourth day, with spinner Shoaib Bashir (5/41) claiming the third five-wicket haul of his career to help England dismiss the West Indies for 143 in pursuit of 385 for victory, as per an ICC press release.

It means England now hold a 2-0 series lead in the three-match series against the West Indies and Ben Stokes’ side gets the chance to clinch a series sweep when the third and final Test commences in Birmingham on Friday.

It also helps England jump up the World Test Championship standings, with the victory catapulting them past South Africa, Bangladesh and West Indies into sixth place on the current table.

Following the final match of the series against the West Indies, England host Sri Lanka for three Tests on home soil from the end of next month and then embark on tours of Pakistan in October and New Zealand in November and December for further three-match series, the release added.

The West Indies fall to ninth on the standings with a 22.22 percent win-loss percentage following the late fadeout against England at Trent Bridge and have seven Tests remaining this period against England (one), South Africa (two), Bangladesh (two) and Pakistan (two).

England have named an unchanged squad for the final match of the series, while the West Indies will be hoping to regain spinner Gudakesh Motie after he missed the second Test due to illness.