World Test Championship 2019/21: Finalists to be decided by percentage of points

The two teams that will take part in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Lord's next June will be decided by the percentage of points they will have earned by the end of the 2019-2021 cycle.

The decision has been made by the International Cricket Council's cricket committee, although the final approval will have to be given by the chief executives' committee.

The first edition of the World Test Championship has been heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with every participating country except India having to postpone or miss a series.

The ICC is now scrambling to include the postponed bilateral series into the calendar. However, it appears likely that most of the teams will not be able to complete their six respective series of the current WTC cycle.

A number of ideas were floated on how to complete the World Test Championship, including having two semi-finals and a final. Ultimately, the option to decide the finalists by percentage of points proved to be the most feasible one.

Another option considered was to treat the Tests not played in this cycle as draws, but that was quickly ruled out.

India are currently sitting pretty at the top of the World Test Championship standings, although with the new format in place, they would find themselves slipping to number two behind Australia.

The upcoming Australia vs India Test series will count towards the World Test Championship, and the winners of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy could all but secure their place in next year's final.

England are currently third with a points percentage of 60.83, followed by New Zealand, who have won 50% of the points they have contested. India's next big assignment following their tour to Australia will be the visit of England, while Australia are scheduled to take on South Africa following the India series.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will face West Indies and Pakistan in their home summer.