ICC World Test Championship
ICC World Test Championship: Participants
Australia National Cricket Team Bangladesh National Cricket Team England cricket team India National Cricket Team New Zealand National Cricket Team Pakistan National Cricket Team South Africa National Cricket Team Sri Lanka National Cricket Team West Indies Cricket TeamICC World Test Championship: the main test cricket competition
This is a new tournament in the world of cricket. The ICC World Test Championship is a championship that has been held for more than two years. All this time, the teams play each other in a series consisting of several matches. So far, only the first tournament in history is coming to an end. The organizers’ plans indicate that this championship will become the main one in Test cricket. Thus, there will be a key tournament in each of the cricket formats.
ICC World Test Championship: general information
Initially, the ICC World Test Championship organizers thought that the tournament would take place in 2013. But it didn’t come true. Then there were hopes that the championship would be held in the 2017 season. However, it soon became clear that there was no chance to start a new tournament because of the ICC Champions Trophy.
It was possible to finalize the ICC World Test Championship details only in the autumn of 2017. It was decided that the tournament will be attended by the nine best teams in the world according to the Test cricket rating. The participants will play in the group stage, and the two best teams that will play for the title will enter the playoffs. Although initially, it was assumed that the four best teams in the classification would play in the tournament. This should have contributed to an increase in interest in cricket.
As a result, the debut ICC World Test Championship began in August 2019 and ended in June 2021.
ICC World Test Championship: reasons for cancellations in 2013 and 2017
Marylebone Cricket Club makes all the key decisions in the world of cricket. Former captain of the New Zealand national team Martin Crowe in 2009 decided to apply to the organization with a request to create a new tournament. Other cricketers supported him. Colin Gibson headed the ICC World Test Championship Organizing Committee. He proposed the initiative of holding the debut tournament in England and Wales. The final match could take place in the legendary Lords.
In the ICC World Test Championship in 2013, 10 teams with full membership status of Test cricket were to take part. Also, the organizers of the future championship and the heads of the International Cricket Council (the main organization in cricket) discussed the format of the competition. It was decided that the top four teams would play in the playoffs. But already in 2011, it became clear that the 2013 ICC World Test Championship tournament could not be held for financial reasons. The International Cricket Council could not guarantee that they would fulfill their obligations to sponsors and broadcasters. This behavior of the leaders of the International Cricket Council has caused criticism among experts and fans. The main international cricket organization was accused of bias and hindering the emergence of new competitions.
In 2012, at a meeting of the International Cricket Council, it was decided that for the first time, the ICC World Test Championship would be held in 2017. Subsequently, the leaders of the main international organization in the world of cricket decided that there could be only one major tournament in each format of this sport. They preferred the ICC Champions Trophy, and the ICC World Test Championship promised that it would be held in 2021. From the third time, the tournament still managed to be organized, although in this case, it was not without difficulties. In the spring of 2020, many sporting events stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic. The matches were first postponed and then canceled. But, fortunately, the tournament was completed on time.
ICC World Test Championship: features of the event
The ICC World Test Championship format is unusual for sports fans. Each team must hold six series in two years, which means that it is impossible to play with all the opponents. Interestingly, the number of matches is not regulated — from two to five. For example, in the opening tournament, the England national team held meetings with six teams: Australia (five matches), South Africa (four matches), West Indies (four matches), Pakistan (three matches), Sri Lanka (two matches) and India (four matches).
Considering that, based on the possibilities, the national teams will hold a different number of matches, the organizers of the ICC World Test Championship have created a table according to which points are awarded in the overall standings:
| Matches in series | Points for a win | Points for a tie | Points for a draw | Points for a defeat |
| 2 | 60 | 30 | 20 | 0 |
| 3 | 40 | 20 | 13 | 0 |
| 4 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
The new tournament organizers decided that it was right to award points for each match and not for the series. The maximum number of points that can be earned in one series is 120.
After the group stage, the two best teams remain in the fight, playing the final title.
ICC World Test Championship: the first tournament
Nine teams took part in the debut ICC World Test Championship, although 12 teams are full members of Test cricket:
- India.
- New Zealand.
- Australia.
- England.
- Pakistan.
- West Indies.
- South Africa.
- Sri Lanka.
- Bangladesh.
The teams of England and Australia were the first to meet in August 2019. New Zealand and Sri Lanka were the next to find out the winner. By the end of 2019, nine episodes had been played. At the beginning of 2020, it was possible to hold only one full-fledged series – between India and New Zealand. Then the COVID-19 epidemic intervened in the schedule of the competition. The countries reacted differently to the situation. For example, Australia refused the away series with Bangladesh and South Africa. Thus, the team lost the chance to compete for the first two places in the standings. Some matches were canceled for reasons beyond the control of the teams, so the organizers of the ICC World Test Championship urgently had to change the scoring system.
As for the first ever ICC World Test Championship results, the Indians were the best in the group stage. They have 72.2% of wins out of a possible 100%. The New Zealand national team is in second place (70%). Only India, England and Sri Lanka managed to play six series. The final series between India and New Zealand took place from 18 to 22 June 2021 at the Ageas Bowl Stadium in Southampton. However, it was originally planned that the matches would be held at Lord’s. The venue of the final meeting was changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier, a special “bubble” was already organized at the Ageas Bowl for holding sports matches. It should be noted that, despite the restrictions, 4,000 fans were allowed to the stands.
ICC World Test Championship: future plans
The second in the history ICC World Test Championship is planned to be held from 2021 to 2023. While the exact number of participants is unknown, but for sure changes will occur.
