2019–21 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–21 ICC World Test Championship is the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket.[1] It started from 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series,[2] and will finish with a final at Lord's in England in June 2021.[3]
| Dates | 1 August 2019 – 14 June 2021 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | Test cricket |
| Tournament format(s) | League and Final |
| Participants | 9 |
| Matches played | 72 |
It comes nearly a decade after the International Cricket Council (ICC) first approved the idea for a World Test Championship in 2010, and following two cancelled attempts to hold the inaugural competition in 2013 and 2017.
It features nine of the twelve Test playing nations,[4][5] each of whom will play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consists of between two and five matches, so although all teams will play six series (three at home and three away), they will not play the same number of Tests. Each team will be able to score a maximum of 120 points from each series and the two teams with the most points at the end of the league stage will contest the final.[6] In the case of a draw or a tie in the final, the two teams playing the final will be declared joint champions.[6]
Some of the Test series in this Championship are part of a longer ongoing series, such as the 2019 Ashes series.[6] Also, some of these nine teams will play additional Test matches during this period which are not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23, mainly to give games to the three Test playing sides not taking part in this competition.[6] On 29 July 2019, the ICC officially launched the World Test Championship.[7]
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the Championship, with several rounds of matches being postponed. In April 2020, following a Chief Executives' meeting, the ICC announced that it would look at the future of the scheduling at a later date, once there is a better understanding of the impact of the pandemic on cricket.[8][9]
Format
The tournament will be played over two years. Each team will play six other opponents, three at home and three away. Each series will consist of between two and five Test matches. Therefore all participants will not play the same number of Tests, but will play the same number of series. At the end of the league stage the top two teams will play a final in England in June 2021.[10] Each match will be scheduled for a duration of five days.
Point scoring
The ICC decided that the same number of points will be available from each series, regardless of series length, so that countries that play fewer Tests are not disadvantaged. It also decided that points will not be awarded for series results, but for match results only. These will be split equally between all the matches in the series, regardless of whether or not a match is a dead rubber,[11] so that every match counts.[12] In a five-match series, therefore, 20% of the points will be available each match, while in a two-match series, 50% of the points will be available each match.
Therefore, depending on whether the series is 2, 3, 4 or 5 matches long, the number of points awarded for a single match win will be a half, a third, a quarter, or a fifth of the maximum possible from the series. The ICC also decided that a tie should be worth half of a win and that a draw should be worth a third of a win.[13] This all means that after each match, a side could be awarded a half, a third, a quarter, a fifth, a sixth, an eighth, a ninth, a tenth, a twelfth or a fifteenth of the total points available from the series, depending on the result and how many matches the series happens to consist of. Ultimately, this means a figure for the total points available from the series needs to be picked very carefully, as not many numbers give all integers when split into all these different fractions (360 does). Being a highly composite number, when 120 is split into all these fractions, an integer is obtained in all cases except one - the points awarded for a draw in a 3-match series should be 131⁄3 (a third of a third of 120), but the 1⁄3 has been dropped.
Each series will therefore carry a maximum of 120 points with points distributed as follows.
| Matches in series | Points for a win | Points for a tie | Points for a draw | Points for a defeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 60 | 30 | 20 | 0 |
| 3 | 40 | 20 | 13 | 0 |
| 4 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
A team that is behind the required over rate at the end of a match will have two competition points deducted for each over it is behind.[15] In January 2020, South Africa became the first team to be docked World Test Championship points, after a slow over-rate in the fourth Test against England.[16]
Participants
The nine full members of the ICC who will participate are:
Since each team is scheduled to play only six of the eight possible opponents, the ICC has been able to announce that India and Pakistan will not play against each other in the first and second editions of the tournament.
The three full members of the ICC who will not participate are:
These are the three lowest ranked full members of the ICC. They have been included in the ICC Future Tours Programme; they will play a number of Test matches during this period against Championship participants and each other (12 each for Ireland and Afghanistan, 21 for Zimbabwe[17]) but these will have no bearing on the Championship.[18]
Schedule
The schedule for the World Test Championship was announced by the ICC on 20 June 2018, as part of the 2018–2023 Future Tours Programme.[19]
Therefore the total number of matches played by each team (home and away) in this tournament, and the two countries that each side will not face in this tournament, are as follows. (Note this is not the total Test matches played by each team during this period, as some countries will play further matches during this period which are not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23. Some of these may be against the opponents they do not play in this Championship.)
| Team | Total matches | Home matches | Away matches | Will not play against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} | 19 | 9 | 10 |   |
 | 14 | 7 | 7 |   |
| 22 | 11 | 11 |  |
 | 18 | 10 | 8 |  |
| 14 | 7 | 7 | |
| 13 | 6 | 7 | |
| 16 | 9 | 7 | |
| 13 | 7 | 6 | |
| 15 | 6 | 9 | |
Variations in strength of opponents
Rather than being a full round-robin tournament in which everyone plays everyone else equally, each team plays only six of the other eight. Each team plays a different set of opponents, and so can be considered as having an easier or harder schedule. For example, New Zealand do not play England and South Africa, two of the highest-ranked teams, whereas Australia do not play Sri Lanka and West Indies, two of the lowest ranked teams. Also, while there is a balance with all teams playing three series at home and three series away, this is not the case with the individual matches. For example, India play ten Tests at home and eight away, whereas the West Indies play just six at home and eight away.
Four of the highest-ranked nations (India, England, Australia and South Africa) all play each other, in some of the longest series of the Championship, and the teams these four nations do not play are generally lower-ranked nations.
All the series are mutually agreed between the two nations involved;[20] this has led to allegations that the schedule has been agreed based on what will provide the biggest television audiences, and therefore television receipts,[21] rather than selecting an even spread of teams.
Coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic impacted on international cricket fixtures, including matches in the Championship. In March 2020, the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh was postponed due to the pandemic.[22] Later the same month, the two-match series between Sri Lanka and England was also postponed.[23] The following month saw Australia's tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies tour to England being postponed.[24][25] In June 2020, the two-match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand and the three-match series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were both postponed.[26][27] South Africa's tour of the West Indies was postponed, after the fixtures clashed with the West Indies rescheduled tour to England.[28][29]
On 20 July 2020, the ICC announced that both the 2020 and 2021 editions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup had each been postponed by one year due to the pandemic.[30] On 29 July 2020, the ICC confirmed that their attention had moved to the fixtures in the World Test Championship, with their priority on rescheduling the six Test series that had been postponed.[31]
League stage
League table
| Pos | Team | Series | Matches | PC |
PCT |
Points | RpW Ratio | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | P | W | L | D | T | |||||||
| 1 | | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 480 | 75.00 | 360 | 2.011 | |
| 2 | | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 360 | 82.22 | 296 | 1.604 | |
| 3 | | 4* | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 440 | 63.41 | 279 | 1.182 | |
| 4 | | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 360 | 50.00 | 180 | 0.883 | |
| 5 | | 4* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 380 | 40.26 | 153 | 0.956 | |
| 6 | | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 33.33 | 80 | 0.589 | |
| 7 | | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 16.67 | 40 | 0.527 | |
| 8 | | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 10.00 | 24[lower-alpha 1] | 0.521 | |
| 9 | | 2* | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.351 | |
| Last updated: 17 August 2020. Source:International Cricket Council[32] | |||||||||||||||
- Top two teams advance to the final to be played at Lord's, London on 10–14 June 2021.
- If two teams are tied on points, the team that won more series shall be ranked higher. If teams are still equal, then the team with the higher runs per wicket ratio shall be ranked higher. The runs per wicket ratio is calculated as runs scored per wicket lost, divided by, runs conceded per wicket taken.[34]
2019
2019–20
Freedom Trophy (India v South Africa)
2–6 October 2019 Scorecard |
v |
India won by 203 runs Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Points: India 40, South Africa 0 |
10–14 October 2019 Scorecard |
v |
India won by an innings and 137 runs Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune Points: India 40, South Africa 0 |
19–23 October 2019 Scorecard |
v |
India won by an innings and 202 runs JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi Points: India 40, South Africa 0 |
Australia v Pakistan
v |
v |
Basil D'Oliveira Trophy (South Africa v England)
v |
v |
v |
England won by an innings and 53 runs St George's Park Cricket Ground, Port Elizabeth Points: England 30, South Africa 0 |
v |
Pakistan v Bangladesh
7–11 February 2020 Scorecard |
v |
Pakistan won by an innings and 44 runs Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Points: Pakistan 60, Bangladesh 0 |
2020
England v Pakistan
v |
v |
2020–21
Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
This series was originally scheduled for July-August 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Zealand v West Indies
Border–Gavaskar Trophy (Australia v India)
New Zealand v Pakistan
Sri Lanka v England
On 13 March 2020, the two-match Test series was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[35]
Bangladesh v West Indies
Anthony de Mello Trophy (India v England)
Pakistan v South Africa
South Africa v Sri Lanka
South Africa v Australia
Sobers–Tissera Trophy (West Indies v Sri Lanka)
Postponed due to COVID-19
Bangladesh v Australia
This series was originally scheduled for June 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
West Indies v South Africa
This series was originally scheduled for July-August 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bangladesh v New Zealand
This series was originally scheduled for August-September 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statistics
Individual Statistics
Most runs
| Batsman | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | Ave | HS | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 15 | 0 | 1249 | 83.26 | 215 | 4 | 7 |
| 13 | 24 | 3 | 1131 | 53.85 | 176 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | 14 | 0 | 1028 | 73.42 | 211 | 3 | 5 |
| 10 | 18 | 2 | 881 | 55.06 | 335* | 3 | 1 |
| 13 | 24 | 2 | 837 | 38.04 | 77 | 0 | 8 |
| Last Update: 17 August 2020[36] | ||||||||
Most wickets
| Bowler | Mat | Inns | Wkts | Runs | Overs | BBI | BBM | Ave | 5WI | 10WM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 69 | 63 | 1207 | 413.2 | 6/31 | 10/67 | 19.15 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | 20 | 49 | 1051 | 393.2 | 5/28 | 7/103 | 21.44 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | 47 | 1261 | 443.5 | 6/49 | 10/118 | 26.82 | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | 17 | 36 | 671 | 222.3 | 5/35 | 7/58 | 18.63 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | 16 | 36 | 901 | 286.4 | 6/45 | 8/85 | 25.02 | 3 | 0 |
| Last Update: 17 August 2020[37] | ||||||||||
Highest individual score
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Team | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 335* | 418 | 39 | 1 | Australia | Pakistan | Adelaide | 29 November 2019 |
| 254* | 336 | 33 | 2 | India | South Africa | Pune | 10 October 2019 |
| 243 | 330 | 28 | 8 | India | Bangladesh | Indore | 14 November 2019 |
| 215 | 371 | 23 | 6 | India | South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 October 2019 |
| 215 | 363 | 19 | 1 | Australia | New Zealand | Sydney | 3 January 2020 |
| Last Update: 5 March 2020[38] | ||||||||
Best bowling figures in an innings
| Bowler | Wkts | Runs | Overs | Mdns | Econ | Team | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 145 | 46.2 | 11 | 3.12 | India | South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 October 2019 |
| 6 | 27 | 12.1 | 3 | 2.21 | India | West Indies | Kingston | 30 August 2019 |
| 6 | 31 | 14.0 | 4 | 2.21 | England | West Indies | Manchester | 24 July 2020 |
| 6 | 42 | 20.0 | 6 | 2.10 | West Indies | England | Southampton | 8 July 2020 |
| 6 | 45 | 17.1 | 3 | 2.62 | England | Australia | Leeds | 22 August 2019 |
| Last Update: 28 July 2020[39] | |||||||||
Team Statistics
Highest team totals
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 601/5d | 156.3 | 3.84 | 1 | | Pune | 10 October 2019 |
| 589/3d | 127.0 | 4.63 | 1 | | Adelaide | 29 November 2019 |
| 580 | 157.4 | 3.67 | 2 | | Brisbane | 21 November 2019 |
| 555/3d | 131.0 | 4.23 | 3 | | Karachi | 19 December 2019 |
| 502/7d | 136.0 | 3.69 | 1 | | Visakhapatnam | 2 October 2019 |
| Last Update: 5 March 2020[40] | |||||||
Lowest team totals
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 27.5 | 2.40 | 2 | | Leeds | 22 August 2019 |
| 100 | 26.5 | 3.72 | 4 | | North Sound | 22 August 2019 |
| 106 | 30.3 | 3.47 | 1 | | Kolkata | 22 November 2019 |
| 117 | 47.1 | 2.48 | 2 | | Kingston | 30 August 2019 |
| 122 | 70.2 | 1.73 | 3 | | Colombo | 22 August 2019 |
| Last Update: 5 March 2020[40] | |||||||
References
- "Test, ODI leagues approved by ICC Board". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- Staff, CricketCountry (16 July 2019). "World Test Championship: Adding context to Test cricket". Cricket Country. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- "How will the Test championship be played?". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "Schedule for inaugural World Test Championship announced".
- "Australia's new schedule features Afghanistan Test".
- "FAQs - What happens if World Test Championship final ends in a draw or tie?". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- "ICC launches World Test Championship". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- "ICC update following Chief Executives' meeting". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Men's T20 World Cup and Women's 50-over World Cup plans ongoing - ICC". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Association, Press (13 October 2017). "ICC approves Test world championship and trial of four-day and matches". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- "World Test Championship points system values match wins over series triumphs".
- "'We want every match in the World Test Championship to count'". ESPN. 28 July 2019.
With regards to the points system, one general rule of any competition is that teams need to compete for the same number of points in total. With each team playing three series each at home and away, we decided on a consistent number of points for each series. The options were: you either just divide those points by the number of Tests being played in that series, so that every match counts, or you only count the first two Tests of a five-Test series, as an example. The overwhelming view of the member countries was they wanted every match to count.
- "ICC outlines points plan for Test championship".
- "ICC World Test Championship – FAQs". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- "ICC Approves Like-for-Like Concussion Substitutes For All International Cricket". News18. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- "South Africa docked six WTC points, fined 60 percent of match fees for slow over-rate against England". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, like the nine Championship participants will be able to add further fixtures outside the FTP including Test matches.
- Netherlands have also been included on the FTP as a one-day and T20 playing nation only.
- "Men's Future Tour Programme 2018-2023 released". International Cricket Council. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- "ICC Press Release".
The sides will play six series in the two-year cycle on a home and away basis against opponents they have mutually selected
- "World Test Championship is confusing, albeit well-meaning attempt to add context to bilateral cricket".
- "Karachi ODI, Test and Pakistan Cup postponed". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- "Coronavirus: England Test series in Sri Lanka called-off". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- "Scheduling crunch looms as Bangladesh tour postponed". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- "No English cricket before July, Hundred decision delayed". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- "New Zealand's August tour of Bangladesh postponed". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Bangladesh postpone Sri Lanka tour due to Covid-19 pandemic". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- "South Africa tours to West Indies put back". Barbados Today. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- "South Africa in West Indies 2020". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- "ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 postponed". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- "World Test Championship progressing as planned, says ICC". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- "Standings". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- "South Africa docked six WTC points, fined 60% match fees for slow over rate". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- "World Test Championship Playing Conditions: What's different?" (PDF). International Cricket Council. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "England tour of Sri Lanka cancelled amid COVID-19 spread". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- "Most Runs World Test Championship". espncricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "Most Wickets World Test Championship". espncricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "High Scores World Test Championship". espncricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "Best Bowling Figures in an Innings World Test Championship". espncricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- "Lowest Team Totals". espncricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2020.