ICC World Test Championship: All you need to know about the premiere event for Test cricket

The ICC World Test Championship is all set to commence on 1st August when England take on Australia in the first Ashes Test at Birmingham. This will not be a played as a stand-alone tournament like the 50 over or the 20 over World Cup, but will comprise a number of Tests played over a period of few years. The top two sides at the end of six bilateral series would play a final match which would eventually decide the winners. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had planned to conduct such a tournament for the longest format of the game for many years. It came up with the idea in 2009 and decided to host the edition in 2013. Later, it got pushed to 2017 and finally the premiere event for Test cricket will commence from 1st August. This tournament will go on till April 30 2021 and the final will be played in England in June 2021.

Why did the ICC come up with the plan of hosting the World Test Championship?

The main purpose of conducting this tournament is to bring in large number of spectators for the longest format of the game which has been losing its shine ever since the advent of the T20 cricket.

How will the tournament be played?

The top nine teams will play six bilateral series against mutually chosen opponents throughout the cycle. Out of the six series, three would be played at home and three away from home. Also, each series can be between two and five matches and would be contested for 120 points. The points will be awarded for each match and not based on the series result. This has been done to eliminate dead rubbers in the tournament.

Which teams would be competing in the Test Championship?

The ICC World Test Championship would see the top nine sides competing for the coveted trophy. The teams are - India, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.  

What would be the scoring in the Test Championship?

Every series can be played anywhere between 2 and 5 matches. For example, if there are 3 matches to be played in a series, each win would fetch 40 points, a tie would fetch 20 points and a draw would fetch 13 points (one third of the points that would have been available for a win). This scoring pattern would eliminate teams from playing for a draw.

Who are India's opponents in the World Test Championship?

West Indies (away) - 2 Tests in August and September 2019.

South Africa (home) - 3 Tests in October 2019.

Bangladesh (home) - 2 Tests in November 2019.

New Zealand (away) - 2 Tests in February 2020.

Australia (away) - 4 Tests between November 2020 and January 2021.

England (home) - 5 Tests between January and March 2021.