Ben Stokes rips apart ICC after failing to qualify for 2 WTC finals

England captain Ben Stokes made shocking comments ahead of the first Test in the three-match series against New Zealand in away conditions. Ben Stokes said that his team doesn't target reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final match, describing it as an "utterly confusing" concept.

The World Test Championship was introduced in 2019 to give more context to Test matches. New Zealand won the inaugural WTC cycle (2019-2021) by defeating India in the final at Southampton in June 2021. Australia secured the title in the following cycle, beating India in the final in 2023 at The Oval.

England Out of the Race for WTC Final Qualification Next Year

The England national cricket team finished in fourth place in the first two editions of the World Test Championship. They have now not been in the race to reach the final of the ongoing cycle of the WTC. They are currently in sixth place in the standings and playing the sixth and final series of the cycle.

England's losses in consecutive away series against India and Pakistan have pushed them to sixth place in the WTC standings. Currently, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka are the teams still in the race for the top two spots to qualify for the final at Lord's in London in June 2025.

We Play A Lot More Cricket Than Anyone Else Does - Ben Stokes

At a press conference ahead of the first England-New Zealand Test, Ben Stokes emphasized that they’ll play in the WTC final if they perform well consistently. Stokes admitted he hasn't spent much time thinking about the WTC concept.

"In all honesty, the World Test Championship, it is a bit confusing, it’s one of those where, you know we don’t really look at it, I don’t look at it. It’s one of those where over a long period of time if you’re playing really good cricket, you’re getting results that you want, you’ll end up finding yourself there in the final and in the mix," Stokes said.

"I can’t remember if I’ve ever even given any real time to be specifically thinking about the World Test Championship to be honest because it’s utterly confusing, we play a lot more cricket than anyone else does, that’s just what we try and focus on, you know, if we play well, we’ll be there or thereabouts but if we don’t, then we won’t be," he added.

It's About Taking It Game By Game - Ben Stokes

Since becoming Test captain in mid-2022, Ben Stokes has led England to many wins in red-ball cricket. He said that the team approaches each series one at a time. Stokes added that qualifying for the WTC final would be a great achievement, but playing over a long period of time feels like a really weird one.

"For me and this team, it’s about taking it game by game, series by series and if you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that world test championship final, then it’s great but it’s a real weird one knowing that you’re playing for something over a long period of time," Stokes said.

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