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ICC World Test Championship

Administrator	International Cricket Council
Format	Test cricket
First edition	2019–2021
Latest edition	2021–2023
Next edition	2025–2027
Tournament format	League stage and Final
Number of teams	9
Current champion	Australia (1st title)
Most successful	Australia  New Zealand (1 title each)
Most runs	Joe Root (5,543)
Most wickets	Ravichandran Ashwin (195)
2023–2025

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC), is the biennial cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is played for 2 years. It is the premier championship for Test cricket. Australia are the current champions, having defeated India in the 2023 final. India have played in each WTC final, finishing runners-up in both.

WTC league games are organized by the host nation's cricketing board, whereas the WTC finals is organized directly by the ICC. The inaugural ICC World Test Championship started with the 2019 Ashes series and finished with New Zealand lifting the trophy after defeating India in the final in June 2021. The second ICC World Test Championship started on 4 August 2021 with the Pataudi Trophy series and finished with Australia lifting the trophy after defeating India in the final in June 2023. The third ICC World Test Championship started on 16 June 2023 with the 2023 Ashes series and will conclude with the finals in England in the summer of 2026.

History

Winners
ICC World Test Championship

Cycle	Winning Team
2019-21	New Zealand
2021-23	Australia

This championship was first proposed in 1996 by Clive Lloyd, former cricketer and then manager of the West Indies team. Later, in 2009, when the ICC met the MCC to discuss a proposed Test match championship. Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe was one of the main brains behind this proposal.

In July 2010 ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat suggested a quadrennial tournament with the four best-ranked nations meeting in the semi-finals and a final, in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport. The first tournament was meant to replace the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales.

The idea of a Test championship was considered by the ICC Chief Executives' Committee at a meeting at their headquarters in Dubai in mid-September 2010. ICC spokesperson Colin Gibson said that much more would be revealed after the meeting, and that if the championship was held in England, then the favoured final venue would be Lord's. As expected, the ICC approved the plan and said that the first tournament would be held in England and Wales in 2013. The format of the tournament was also announced. It would comprise an inaugural league stage, played over a period of four years, with all ten current Test cricket nations (Australia, India, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh) participating. After the league stage the top four teams will take part in the play-offs, with the final determining the Test cricket champions.

There was a debate as to whether the play-off would take place between the top eight teams or the top four teams, but the latter was unanimously chosen by the board. It was also announced that the tournament would replace the ICC Champions Trophy. No decision had been made concerning how to decide the outcome of drawn matches in the knock-out stages.

However, in 2011, the ICC announced that the Test Championship would not take place until 2017, and that the 2013 tournament would be cancelled because of financial problems within the board, and its commitment to its sponsors and broadcasters. England and Wales, the original hosts of this cancelled tournament, were awarded the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy instead, the tournament that the Test Championship was intended to replace. This drew widespread criticism; both Greg Chappell and Graeme Smith criticised the ICC, saying that postponing the Test Championship was wrong and unjustified. The Guardian reported that this postponement was a blow to Lord's, which had been expected to host the final.

At the ICC Chief Executives' meeting in April 2012, it was confirmed that the ICC Champions Trophy would be last held in 2013 with the inaugural Test Championship play-offs being scheduled for June 2017. The ICC said that there would be only one trophy for each format of the game, which meant that the Champions Trophy would no longer take place since the Cricket World Cup is the premier event for 50-over cricket.

The final would possibly have followed the historical timeless test format. Further improvements in the structure of the championship have also been discussed.

However, in January 2014, the 2017 ICC World Test Championship was cancelled and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy was reinstated.

In October 2017, the ICC announced that a Test league had been agreed upon by its members, which would involve the top nine teams playing series over two years with the top two teams qualifying for a World Test League Championship Final, which will be considered as an ICC event.

Tournament summary

2019–21 tournament

The first tournament began with the 2019 Ashes series. In March 2020, matches were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not resuming before July 2020, with several rounds of matches being postponed or ultimately cancelled. New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the final, when it was confirmed that the series between South Africa and Australia would not proceed, followed by India. The inaugural World Test Championship Final was played between India and New Zealand from 18 to 23 June 2021 at Rose Bowl, Southampton, England. Despite the opening and fourth day of the final being washed out by rain, New Zealand managed to win in the final session of the reserve day and lifted the first World Test Championship trophy.

2021–23 tournament

The WTC 2021–23 cycle began in August 2021 with Pataudi Trophy (5 matches series between India and England). The International Cricket Council officially announced the full programme with a new points system. Australia qualified for the final by winning the 3rd Test Match of the 2022–23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India qualified after Sri Lanka failed to win the first match of their series in New Zealand, qualifying for the final for the second consecutive time. The final was played from 7 June to 11 June 2023 at The Oval, London, England, with Australia emerging as champions after defeating India by 209 runs. This was India's second consecutive defeat at the WTC final.

2023–25 tournament

The WTC 2023–25 cycle began with the 1st Ashes Test on 16 June 2023. The International Cricket Council officially announced that the WTC final will be played at Lord's in the summer of 2025.

Results

Year	Final host(s)	Final					Winning Captain	Third Place
		Venue	Winners	Result	Runners-up	Player of the match
2019–2021	England	Rose Bowl, Southampton	New Zealand 249 & 140/2	New Zealand won by 8 wickets (Scorecard)	India 217 & 170	Kyle Jamieson	Kane Williamson	Australia
2021–2023		The Oval, London	Australia 469 & 270/8d	Australia won by 209 runs (Scorecard)	India 296 & 234	Travis Head	Pat Cummins	South Africa
2023–2025		Lord's, London
2025–2027

Team performances

Key:

An overview of all the Test playing nations' performances:

Tournament Team	2019 –2021	2021 –2023	2023 –2025	Apps.
Australia	3rd	W	Q	3
Bangladesh	9th	9th	Q	3
England	4th	4th	Q	3
India	RU	RU	Q	3
New Zealand	W	6th	Q	3
Pakistan	6th	7th	Q	3
South Africa	5th	3rd	Q	3
Sri Lanka	7th	5th	Q	3
West Indies	8th	8th	Q	3

Tournament records

World Test Championship Records
Batting
Most runs	Joe Root	5,543
Most hundreds		18
Most runs in a single tournament		1,968 (2023-2025)
Most hundreds in a single tournament		8 (2021–23)
Highest average (min 50 innings)	Kane Williamson	61.34
Highest score	David Warner v Pakistan	335* (2019–21)
Bowling
Most wickets	R Ashwin	195
Most wickets in a single tournament	Nathan Lyon	88 (2021–23)
Best average (min 1000 balls)	Kyle Mayers	17.47
Best bowling in an innings	Ajaz Patel v India	10/119 (2021–23)
Best bowling in a match		14/225 (2021–23)
Fielding
Most dismissals by a wicket-keeper	Alex Carey	148
Most dismissals in a single tournament		80 (2023–25)
Most catches by a fielder	Joe Root	100
Team
Highest score	England v Pakistan	823/7d (2023–25)
Lowest score	India v Australia	36 (2019–21)

As of 18 December 2024

See also

• ICC Test Championship Mace
• Cricket World Cup
• ICC Men's T20 World Cup
• ICC Champions Trophy
• ACC Asian Test Championship
• 2005 ICC Super Series

References

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7. ICC to hold World Test Cup in 2013?, The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2012
8. ^ ICC approves Test championship, ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2012
9. World Test Championship to be Postponed; Financial Considerations to Blame Archived 6 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Crickblog. Retrieved 4 January 2012
10. Test Championship postponement a 'shame' – Greg Chappell ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2012
11. Ken Borland, ICC too slow on test championship says Smith, Stuff.co.nz, 17 November 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012
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17. "Scenarios: Who will face New Zealand in the WTC final?". ICC. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021. After the postponement of the South Africa-Australia Test series, New Zealand were confirmed as one of the finalists of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, leaving one spot up for grabs for all of India, England and Australia.
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21. ^ "ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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27. "The Oval and Lord's to host 2023 and 2025 WTC finals". ESPNCricinfo. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
28. "ICC World Test Championship Records - Cricket's Remarkable Feats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
29. "Most Runs World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
30. "Most centuries World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
31. "Highest Average World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
32. "High Scores World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
33. "Most Wickets World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
34. "Best Bowling Average World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
35. "Best Bowling Figures in a Match World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
36. "Most Dismissals for a wicket-keeper World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
37. "Most Catches for a player World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
38. "Highest Team Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
39. "Lowest Team Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.

External links

• Official website of the ICC World Test Championship
• Official website of ICC
• ICC World Test Championship ESPN Cricinfo

• ICC World Test Championship
• World championships in cricket
• International Cricket Council events
• Test cricket competitions