Hyderabad: ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is set to begin on August 1 in the opening Test of Ashes series between archrivals England and Australia. The idea of WTC has been in ICC's radar for over a decade, with the plans initially rolled out way back in 2009 during a meeting between ICC and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It was proposed that the 2013 Champions Trophy would be evicted from ICC's annual itineraries to replace it with the WTC to revitalize the popularity of Test cricket. However, ICC failed to convince its full members which led it to shelve the idea till 2017.
After a couple of hiccups, ICC and its full members have finally agreed to come on the same table to safeguard the heritage of cricket. It was decided that the WTC will commence soon after the conclusion of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at the 'home of cricket', Lord's.
Before the tournament begins ETV Bharat brings you the details of the World Test Championship.
What is the World Test Championship?
The idea behind WTC is as simple as it goes. In a fast-paced world slowly drifting Test cricket lost its relevance. A format which once used to draw thousands of fans at the stadium now hardly attracts young fans. Hence, a wholehearted initiative was required from all stakeholders of the game to relaunch the format in a new mould.
To make the format engaging, ICC launched a point-based system for the WTC.
When will the champion be declared?
The WTC will span over the tenure of two years. Beginning from August 1, the competition will get its maiden champion in June 2021. However, the exact date of the grand finale is yet to be decided.
Who are part of this tournament?
ICC made the tournament available to only top nine Test-playing nations- India, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh.
This means Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe will miss this year's edition as they failed to cut into top nine of ICC Test rankings.
What’s the format?
All participating teams will play six series each- three home and away- over two years. However, we must note that it won't round-robin format like the 2019 World Cup as not every team will face each other in the scheduled time. As per the tournament rules, one team must play six series, but teams have the sole authority to decide who they want to play at home and away conditions in the given period.
Meanwhile, not every Test match and series will be part of the tournament. A WTC participant is allowed to play Ireland, Afghanistan or Zimbabwe, but those series won't be part of the competition.
As for the winner, the top two nations would lead the points tally at the end of the WTC will play the summit clash on June 2021 at the Lord's.
How does the point system work?
There will be a total of 120 points up for grab from each series and 720 points in a two-year circle. A series will be comprised of a minimum of two Tests and a maximum of five Tests. Points will be divided based on the matches part of the series. There will be some points to grab in every match of a series. This step was taken to make the encounters even more intriguing.
Who will win the final if the match ends in a tie?
The top two teams on the points table will lock horns in the title clash. In case if the final encounter ends in a tie, the winners won't be announced on the boundary count. Rather, the points will have a crucial role to play here. The team which finishes on top of the points table will be crowned champions.
