Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra said that Bangladesh have a herculean task to reach the WTC final despite their decent current standing in the points table as well.

“If we talk about our neighbors Bangladesh, the current standing is looking very good. They are at No. 4. However, I still see their WTC final hopes as tough. They have six matches left in total, which includes two in India, two in West Indies, and two at home against South Africa. If they win all those matches, they can reach 72.9%. They will need to win at least five of the six matches for their qualification chances to remain alive,” he said.

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that seventh-placed South Africa still have a decent chance to reach the top as well. Chopra added that the WTC final should be a three-game affair and it should be held outside England. He also proposed a two-tier system, with promotions and relegations, to increase the interest in the tournament as well.

“If England want to reach the final, they have two upcoming tours, which includes three Test matches against Pakistan and three Test matches against New Zealand. If England win all these six matches, their percentage points can go maximum to 62.5, which is not great. They will also be dependent a lot on the India-Australia results,” Chopra stated.

He also added that England need to win their rest of the matches and hope for other results to go their way to qualify for the final of zWTC as well.

“If we talk about South Africa, it seems like they are stumbling but they have chances. Their max percentage points can go up to 69.4, which is higher than England. They have six Test matches left. They have to play three series, two at home – Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and then they have to go and win two Tests in Bangladesh. South Africa can go above India if they win all matches and India lose three matches in Australia,” he concluded.