Test cricket has for long been considered the ‘pinnacle of the sport’ by ardent fans and cricket experts. It only seemed fit to have a marquee event for the longest format of the sport. The World Test Championship is the ICC’s move to create a ‘World Cup’ for Test cricket. This will bring Test cricket at par with the limited-overs, namely the ODI and T20 formats, by making sure that all the three formats of cricket will now have a ‘World Cup’ to be won by contesting teams.

The nine top-ranked Test teams are each required to play six bilateral Test series against mutually chosen opponents throughout the Championship cycle. Three of those six series will be played at home and three are to be played while touring. The tournament will not exactly progress in a round-robin format as each side will face only six of the eight teams. Further, each series can have anywhere between two to five tests but the points on offer from each Test series will be the same i.e. 120. The points will be awarded, not for the result of the Test series but the result obtained in each test match.

Complete Schedule of ICC World Test Championship with fixtures, venues & timing