ICC World Test Championship Final

The ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 was the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship which was approved by the ICC close to a decade ago in 2010. Top nine ranked sides in Tests will play a league stage over a two-year period to qualify for the Final in June 2021. The tournament has been put in place to ensure that all the bilateral Test series gain context and importance.

Table of Contents

1. ICC Test Championship 2021-23
2. Teams in The World Test Championship
3. WTC Finals

ICC Test Championship 2021-23

The nine teams featuring in the Championship will play bilateral Test series against six teams that may consist of 2-5 matches each. Irrespective of the number of matches in a series, every team has the chance to gain 120 championship points. If the series contains just 2 matches, each Test will have 60 points and if it contains 5 Tests, each one will have 24 points. The number of points per draw will be a third of the number of points on a win. Both teams will earn half the number of points on a win in case the Test ends in a tie. A team will earn 0 points if they lose.

The table below explains how teams gain points in the World Test Championship series.

All the teams have to play 3 series at home and 3 away from home. The five-match Pataudi Trophy between England and India starting 4 August 2021 began the second season of the World Test Championship. A total of 27 series will be played across the globe to decide the top two teams in the World Test Championship points table. In case teams are tied on the number of points, the team with more series wins will be considered for qualification.

If teams are still equal, then the team with the higher runs per wicket ratio shall be ranked higher. The runs per wicket ratio is calculated as runs scored per wicket lost, divided by, runs conceded per wicket taken.

Teams in The World Test Championship

The participating teams in the first-ever championship are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand cricket team. All the Test series that involve teams only from these nine will be constituted in the ICC World Test Championship. The series that involve a team out of the three left out Test playing nations, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland will not be considered for championship points but will be considered for ICC Test Rankings.

New Zealand won the Inaugural ICC Test Championship by defeating India at Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton.

WTC Finals

The WTC schedulefor finals will be played on 31st March 2023 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Both table toppers will face-off against each other in the final. If the Final ends in a draw or a tie, both teams will be crowned joint winners.