India earned 120 points towards inaugural World Test Championship standings after whitewashing West Indies 2-0 in the Caribbean, while Australia has gained only 56 of them despite retaining the Ashes via twin victories in Birmingham and Manchester over England, either side of a valiant draw at Lord's and narrow loss at Headingley. 

But to further give a sighter of issues people have with the points system that the ICC will employ for the first-ever Test Championship cycle: Sri Lanka and New Zealand just shared 60 points each after levelling a two-match series 1-1 in the island nation, still more than what Australia has gotten for its results and efforts across a five-match series thus far. 

So why there has been such an alarming disparity between points earned after a victory for certain teams over the other? 

Here's an explanation:

All series part of the Test Championship have been accorded 120 points, divided into number of games as per the longevity of the series itself. To further delve into it: 24 points will be awarded for one win in a five-match series, 1/3rd of the victory (8) for a draw and half of them (12) for the rare occasion of a tie. 

The points stipulated for an outcome changes for a two, three, and four-match series. But the format remains the same as each game still carries equal weightage depending on the number of matches in the series. 

Matches in series (2) - Win/Tie/Draw - 60/30/20

Matches in series (3) - Win/Tie/Draw - 40/20/13

Matches in series (4) - Win/Tie/Draw - 30/15/10

Hence, India's victories in Antigua and Jamaica earned it 60 points each because it was just a two-match series, like both Sri Lanka and New Zealand did for one win each in just as long a series of theirs. But Australia and England have fallen behind them as the two have been fighting for lesser number of points divided into games over a five-match series like the Ashes.

The system isn't robust and leaves a lot to be desired but the longevity of each series that teams play during the inaugural Test Championship cycle is pre-designed after mutual agreement between the nine competing full members. 

The points table finalises standings towards a marquee final between the top two countries in June 2021.