Now that the World Cup hangover is waning, the cricketing world is slowly turning its focus to the new Test Championship that will commence with the Ashes. It will be in play when India will take on West Indies and Sri Lanka will fight against New Zealand. The World Test Championship has been started to bring a new meaning to the bilateral Test series.
First Edition To Run Until June 2021
Its first edition will run till June 2021 when two finalists will take on each other for the title on the ground of Lord’s in London. It is not the first time that this concept of the World Test Championship was floated. It was decided earlier to scrap the 2013 Champions Trophy and start this Test Championship. However, later on, the plan was shifted to 2017 but was even reversed in that year. Now, finally, it is to take place between 2019-2021.
How Many Teams Will Take Part?
The top nine teams according to the ICC Test rankings will participate in this Test Championship. These teams include India, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Although Ireland and Afghanistan teams are evolving into the mainstream very rapidly they will not be a part of this championship.
According to the format, all the nine teams will have to play a maximum of six opponents- 3 home series and 3 away. The number of matches in each series can be anywhere between 2 to 5.
How Will Be The Matches Played?
As usual, the matches will be conducted as a bilateral affair. However, these matches will be with a context attached to each match. Across 27 series, around 71 matches will be played as a part of the championship. The top 2 teams that score maximum points will play the finale on June 2021. So, the total number of matches to be played including the final clash will be 72.
The second cycle of the championship will commence after this final and it will be played until April 2023.
How Will The Point System Work?
Each series will have 120 points. For example, if it is a 2-match test series then with each win a team scores 60 points. In the case, it is a 5-match series, then each win will fetch 24 points for a team. In case of a tie, half the points of win will be allocated whereas a draw will fetch one-third of the points for a win.
