Remember the Asia Test Championship held in the late 90s and early 2000? When India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka played against each other to show their cricket supremacy in the continent.
The ICC wants the bilateral series more engaging and to make it successful they have come with ICC World Test Championship.
The ICC World Test Championship will start on August 1 this year and will run till June 2021. Nine top test teams (India, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh) will take part in the championship.
So are you wondering how it works? What if the final is tied or a draw, what will happen then? We try to make it simple for you, with point by point explanation of the ICC World Test Series.
How it will work
The nine top-ranked Test teams will each play six series, three at home and three away, against mutually chosen opponents in the next two years. Every side will face six of the other eight teams, and this isn’t a complete round-robin league. Each series will have between two and five Tests, and not all sides will play the same number of Tests.
The Point System
Each series is worth 120 points, irrespective of the number of Tests in the series. A side can have a maximum of 720 points over a period. The two nations with the most points at the end of the period will contest the final at Lord’s on June 2021 to decide the winner.
The teams playing fewer Tests are not at a disadvantage; the same 120 points will be available from each series. Points will be awarded for Tests, not series, to do away with ‘dead rubbers.’ The 120 points will be split equally among all the Tests in a series.
| Matches in series | Points for a win | Points for a tie | Points for a draw |
| 2 | 60 | 30 | 20 |
| 3 | 40 | 20 | 13 |
| 4 | 30 | 15 | 10 |
| 5 | 24 | 12 | 8 |
Number of Tests to be played by each country
Each team will play against six nations and will miss playing against 2. For Example – India will not play against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Or even if they play against each other during the period, the series will not be included in Test Championship.
New Zealand and England will play against each other in November but will not be counted. The series is on the FTP (Future Test Program), but the results of these games will not affect the World Test Championship. The same is for other bilateral series involving Ireland and Afghanistan.
The final will be played at Lord’s in 2021 and in case of a tie or a draw, the side that finished on top of the table in the two-year league cycle will be declared the champion.
| Teams | Matches | Home | Away | Not Playing |
| Australia | 19 | 9 v Pak, NZ, Ind | 10 v Eng, Ban, SA | v SL & WI |
| Bangladesh | 14 | 7 v Aus, NZ, WI | 7 v Ind, Pak, SL | v Eng & SA |
| England | 22 | 11 v Aus, WI, Pak | 11 v SA, SL, Ind | v Ban & NZ |
| India | 18 | 10 v SA, Ban, Eng | 8 v WI, NZ, Aus | v Pak & SL |
| New Zealand | 14 | 7 v Ind, WI, Pak | 7 v SL, Aus, Ban | v Eng & SA |
| Pakistan | 13 | 6 v SL, Ban, SA | 7 v Aus, Eng, NZ | v Ind & WI |
| South Africa | 16 | 9 v Eng, SL, Aus | 7 v Ind, WI, Pak | v Ban & NZ |
| Sri Lanka | 13 | 7 v NZ, Eng, Ban | 6 v Pak, SA, WI | v Aus & Ind |
| West Indies | 15 | 6 v Ind, SA, SL | 9 v Eng, NZ, Ban | v Aus & Pak |
The Complete Schedule
Australia
July-August-September 2019: Five Ashes Tests away in England
November 2019: Two home Tests against Pakistan
December 2019-January 2020: Three home Tests against New Zealand
February 2020: Two away Tests against Bangladesh
November-December 2020: Four home Tests against India
February-March 2021: Three away Tests against South Africa
Bangladesh
November 2019: Two away Tests in India
January-February 2020: Two away Tests in Pakistan
February 2020: Two home Tests against Australia
July-August 2020: Three away Tests in Sri Lanka
August-September 2020: Two home Tests against New Zealand
January-February 2021: Three home Tests against Windies
England
July-August 2019: Five Ashes Tests at home against Australia
December 2019-January 2020: Four away Tests in South Africa
March 2020: Two away Tests in Sri Lanka
June-July 2020: Three home Tests against Windies
July-August 2020: Three home Tests against Pakistan
January-February 2021: Five away Tests in India
India
July-August 2019: Two away Tests in West Indies
October-November 2019: Three home Tests against South Africa
November 2019: Two home Tests against Bangladesh
February 2020: Two away Tests in New Zealand
December 2020: Four away Tests in Australia
January-February 2021: Five home Tests against England
New Zealand
July-August 2019: Two away Tests in Sri Lanka
December 2019-January 2020: Three away Tests in Australia
February 2020: Two home Tests against India
August-September 2020: Two away Tests in Bangladesh
November-December 2020: Three home Tests against Windies
December 2020: Two home Tests against Pakistan
Pakistan
October 2019: Two home Tests against Sri Lanka
November-December 2019: Two away Tests in Australia
January-February 2020: Two home Tests against Bangladesh
July-August 2020: Three away Tests in England
December 2020: Two away Tests in New Zealand
January-February 2021: Two home Tests against South Africa
Sri Lanka
July-August 2019: Two home Tests against New Zealand
October 2019: Two away Tests against Pakistan
March-April 2020: Two home Tests against England
July-August 2020: Three home Tests against Bangladesh
January 2021: Two away Tests in South Africa
February-March 2021: Two away Tests in West Indies
South Africa
October 2019: Three away Tests in India
December 2019-January 2020 – Four home Tests against England
July-August 2020: Two away Tests in West Indies
January 2021: Two home Tests against Sri Lanka
January-February 2021: Two away Tests against Pakistan
February-March 2021: Three home Tests against Australia
West Indies
July-August 2019: Two home Tests against India
June-July 2020: Three away Tests in England
July-August 2020: Two home Tests against South Africa
November-December 2020: Three away Tests in New Zealand
January-February 2021: Three away Tests in Bangladesh
February-March 2021: Two home Tests in Sri Lanka
