ICC World Test Championship (2021-2023): ICC Confirms Points System And Fixtures List For WTC 02

The International Cricket Council [ICC] has confirmed the points system for the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship [WTC] as well as the fixtures that will take place during the two-year cycle, commencing August 04.

Just like the previous cycle, the upcoming two-year phase will see nine Full-member teams play a total of six Test series- three at home and three away- of varying lengths with the cut-off date being March 31. 2023.

However, unlike the previous WTC cycle where the maximum points for every series regardless of its length were fixed- 120- this time, the ICC has decided to allott the same number of points for every Test.

And, so, as per the updated system, each Test match will now carry a weightage of 12 points while a drawn and tied Test will fetch 4 and 6 points respectively. However, the standing in the points table, just like the inaugural cycle, will be determined on percentage points accumulated.

The second WTC cycle will commence from August 04 when the runners-up of the inaugural cycle, India, locks horns with Joe Root’s England in the first Test of a five-match series. New Zealand is, of course, the defending champions, having beaten India in the inaugural final last month.

Meanwhile, ICC Acting CEO George Allardice has said that the changes have been made in order to simplify the points system besides taking learnings from the Covid-forced disruptions last year.

”We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified. The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardized points system for each match. It maintained the principle of ensuring that all matches in a WTC series count towards a team’s standing, while accommodating series varying in length between two Tests and five Tests, ” said Allardice in a press-release.

“During the pandemic we had to change to ranking teams on the points table using the percentage of available points won by each team, since all series could not be completed. This helped us determine the finalists and we were able to complete the championship within the scheduled time frame. This method also allowed us to compare the relative performance of teams at any time, regardless of how many matches they had played.” he added.

Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, and Joe Root express their thoughts on the World Test Championship

The winning captain of the inaugural WTC, Kane Williamson, said that it was pretty special to win the coveted price last month and he is already looking forward to defending the title over the course of the next two years.

“It was obviously pretty special to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton last month and it’s exciting to now look ahead to the second edition. The WTC has certainly added more context and brought new meaning to Test cricket and it was awesome to see the interest that was generated around the Final against India.” said Williamson.

“We know trying to defend the title will be a huge challenge, but our focus will be on making sure we prepare as well as we can for the tours ahead and trying to maintain our level of performance.” he added.

Meanwhile, Indian captain Virat Kohli said that the inaugural World Test Championship captured the imagination of fans around the world and it was a great feeling for him and his team to play the first-ever final of the championship.

Kohli said that the team is looking forward to regroup after a disappointing end to their campaign when they lock horns with England next month.

”It was great to have played the final of the ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand in what was a memorable contest. Not just the final, we saw the determination of players throughout the first edition of the championship. The following of cricket lovers too was great to see, and I am sure they will all be waiting eagerly for the second edition,” said Virat Kohli.

”We will regroup with new energy for the next cycle starting with our series against England, hoping to give our fans a lot to cheer about,” he added.

Joe Root, on the other hand, expressed his disappointment at the fact that England barely missed out on qualification last year. He, however, added that playing against the finalists of the last edition in India in their first WTC-2 assignment will be a great chance for them to test themselves against a quality side-led by Virat Kohli,

 “We start our campaign in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship against the finalists of last time, which is an interesting challenge straight away. India are a fine all-round side and it would be good to test them in our home conditions. “We narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final last time and are looking to do better this time,”

“Test cricket is a format we all want to excel in and with points at stake for each match, everyone has to be at their best all the time.”

Here’s how teams will be awarded points in the ICC World Test Championship (2021-23):

? 12 points available every match, irrespective of series length
? Teams to be ranked on percentage of points won

The new points system for #WTC23 is revealed ? pic.twitter.com/9IglLPKRa1

— ICC (@ICC) July 14, 2021

Here’s a look at ICC World Test Championship fixtures list [2021-2023]:

Some cracking fixtures to look out for in the next edition of the ICC World Test Championship ?

The #WTC23 schedule ? pic.twitter.com/YXzu5lS0t1

— ICC (@ICC) July 14, 2021

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