A Comprehensive Look at ICCs World Test Championship Ahead of Final Clash

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) is all set for a stellar finish following a clash with the Titans slotted for June 7th to 12th. The front-runners, Australia, will take on the close second, India, in a thrilling contest to be played at Kennington Oval, London.

Both teams have already announced their squads and have even announced newly minted kits in anticipation of the finale.  

Several online services have already bought rights to Live to stream the final match, so cricket lovers can enjoy every moment of the 5-day marathon on the go. All you need is a decent device and a high-speed internet connection like the one provided by Spectrum, and you are all set.

But even the most vehement of cricket fans do not have a clear and comprehensive idea of what the WTC is, what format it follows, and how on Earth did these two teams end up in the final. And who can blame them, the WTC is ICC’s newest championship and is going through its second iteration. Moreover, the increasing popularity of shorter formats like T20s has managed to push classical test encounters to the fringes.

So, before we take a look at the star cast being fielded by finalists, let’s take a comprehensive look at the WTC.

What is the World Test Championship?

Much like ICC’s ODI and T20 world championships, the World Test Championship is the format’s definitive clash. But the WTC follows a starkly different approach when compared to the other two world cups.

The tournament is played over a period of 2 years instead of consisting of back-to-back clashes. The teams occupying the top nine spots on ICC’s test rankings compete over a 2 year-long campaign to reach the defining final clash.

Teams are awarded points for wins, draws, and ties, and the two teams with the highest points at the end of the campaign get to compete over the gold.

The first iteration of the WTC was held between 2019 and 2021, with New Zealand beating the current finalist India to take home the gold.

A Brief Look at the Current WTC Campaign

The current, and second, iteration of the WTC kicked off on August 4th, 2021 with the Pataudi Trophy series between India and England. Nine ICC teams including, New Zealand, England, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, Siri Lanka, and West Indies competed in a total of over 60 matches over a two-year time period to try and reach the finale.

The current finalists, Australia and India, naturally scored the best points with England and South Africa being close contenders. Last session’s champions, New Zealand failed to even come close to being the top contender.

This iteration of the WTC followed a different point system as compared to the previous session. Each victory earned the team 12 points, a draw was worth 6 points while a tie awarded each team just 4 points.

Teams that did not get to play as many matches as their counterparts were awarded points for the missing matches on a relative basis.

The Final Clash

Jun 07, Wed – Jun 11, Sun

India vs Australia, Final Match

3:30pm IST | 6am EST | 11am Local Kennington Oval, London

This iteration’s final clash is slotted to take place between Rohit Sharma-led India and Pat Cummins-led Australia. The contest will last for five days, with a sixth day reserved for any contingency.

The Indian side is fielding veterans like Virat Kohli, Muhammad Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin while the Australian side is relying on experienced players like Usman Khwaja, Steve Smith, Davide Warner, and Mitchell Starc.

Both teams have launched the final leg of their grueling training for the summer clash. And the countdown has started, with Millions around the world waiting to find out who will carry the WTC 2023 gold.