The much-awaited ICC World Test Championship is scheduled to get underway with Ashes 2019. Following the ODI World cup, the T20 World Cup, the longest format of the game has also got a championship rank from the ICC.
The tournament is expected to increase the craze and excitement of Test cricket among the fans.
It will begin on August 1, 2019, and will cover 71 Test matches across 27 series. It will be played over a two-year cycle. There are points up for grabs in every match and in the end, the top two teams will clash in the final at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground in June 2021.
The top nine teams in the ICC Test rankings as on March 31, 2018, were chosen to participate in the competition. The teams are India, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.
Each of the above teams will play three home series and three away series. The matches in a series can vary from a minimum of two to a maximum of five.
The number of matches played by the nine teams will not be the same.
Here’s the number of matches that each team will play:
England: 22
Australia: 19
India: 18
South Africa: 16
West Indies: 15
New Zealand: 14
Bangladesh: 14
Pakistan: 13
Sri Lanka: 13
Points system:
Each series will be worth 120 points. Hence, if it is a 2-match Test series, a win will fetch 60 points, and if it is a 5-match series, a win will fetch 24 points.
A tie will be allocated half the points for a win, while a draw will be allocated one-third of the points for a win.
If the final ends in a draw or is tied:
If that happens, the team with the most number of points at the end of the league phase will be declared the winner.
