Winning the inaugural WTC was "special", defending the title will be a huge challenge: Kane Williamson 

Last month, New Zealand ended their ICC trophy drought by emerging victorious in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). Skipper Kane Williamson led his side to a comfortable eight-wicket win over India in the final at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

The second edition of the WTC is set to kick off in August with a series between India and England. The points system has been standardised, with teams being awarded 12 points for a win, four for a draw, and six for a tie. The percentage of points won by each team will determine the final standings.

In a statement released by the ICC, Williamson said he was looking forward to the next edition of the competition.

"It was obviously pretty special to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in Southampton last month and it’s exciting to now look ahead to the second edition," Williamson said.

"The WTC has certainly added more context and brought new meaning to Test cricket and it was awesome to see the interest that was generated around the Final against India.”

TEAM FIRST. There are 15 players here but 22 players have represented the team during #WTC21. AstleBlundellBoultConwayDe GrandhommeFergusonHenryJamiesonLathamMitchellNichollsPatelPhillipsRavalSantnerSomervilleSoutheeTaylorWagnerWatlingWilliamsonYoung pic.twitter.com/UrqD6uOa5T

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 23, 2021

New Zealand were widely considered underdogs in the inaugural edition of the WTC, but they will now have a target on their backs. Williamson is expecting a tough battle as they look to defend their crown.

"We know trying to defend the title will be a huge challenge, but our focus will be on making sure we prepare as well as we can for the tours ahead and trying to maintain our level of performance,” he said.

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With points at stake for each match, everyone has to be at their best all the time: Joe Root on WTC

After narrowly missing out on a berth in the finals of the WTC this year, England will be looking to put in a better performance in the next cycle. England skipper Joe Root believes the WTC is the ideal platform for the playeto improve their abilities in the longest format of the game.

Root feels England will be in for a battle when they open their campaign against India next month.

"We start our campaign in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship against the finalists of last time, which is an interesting challenge straight away," Root said.

"Test cricket is a format we all want to excel in and with points at stake for each match, everyone has to be at their best all the time."