 | |
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | Test cricket |
| First edition | 2019–2021 |
| Latest edition | 2025–2027 |
| Next edition | 2027–2029 |
| Tournament format | League stage and final |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Current champion |  South Africa(1st title) |
| Most successful |  New Zealand Australia South Africa(1 title each) |
| Most runs |  Joe Root (6,480) |
| Most wickets | Nathan Lyon (224) |
| Tournaments |
|---|
| Part of a series on the |
| International cricket competitions |
|---|
 |
| ICC Competitions |
| Men's |
| Women's |
| Multi-sport competitions |
| Regional competitions |
| Note: Defunct competitions are listed in italics. |
The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is a biennial world championship for Test cricket organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).[1] The winners of the tournament are awarded the Test Mace, which was previously held by the leader of the Test Championship. South Africa are the current champions, having defeated Australia in the 2025 final at Lord's.
WTC league games are organized by the host nation's cricket board, whereas the final is organized directly by the ICC. The inaugural ICC World Test Championship started with the 2019 Ashes series and finished with New Zealand lifting the trophy after defeating India in the final in June 2021. The second ICC World Test Championship started on 4 August 2021 with the England–India series[2] and finished with Australia lifting the trophy after defeating India in the final in June 2023. The third ICC World Test Championship started on 16 June 2023 with the 2023 Ashes series and concluded with South Africa defeating Australia in the final. The current ICC World Test Championship began with Bangladesh touring Sri Lanka and will conclude at Lord's, London.[3][4]
History
| WTC Cycle | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2019-21 | New Zealand
|
| 2021-23 | Australia
|
| 2023-25 | South Africa
|
This championship was first proposed in 1996 by Clive Lloyd, former cricketer and then manager of the West Indies team.[5] Later, in 2009, when the ICC met the MCC to discuss a proposed Test match championship. Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe was one of the main brains behind this proposal.[6]
In July 2010 ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat suggested a quadrennial tournament with the four best-ranked nations meeting in the semi-finals and a final, in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport. The first tournament was meant to replace the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales.[7][8]
The idea of a Test championship was considered by the ICC Chief Executives' Committee at a meeting at their headquarters in Dubai in mid-September 2010. ICC spokesperson Colin Gibson said that much more would be revealed after the meeting, and that if the championship was held in England, then the favoured final venue would be Lord's.[9] As expected, the ICC approved the plan and said that the first tournament would be held in England and Wales in 2013. The format of the tournament was also announced. It would comprise an inaugural league stage, played over a period of four years, with all ten current Test cricket nations (Australia, India, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh) participating. After the league stage the top four teams will take part in the play-offs, with the final determining the Test cricket champions.[10]
There was a debate as to whether the play-off would take place between the top eight teams or the top four teams, but the latter was unanimously chosen by the board. It was also announced that the tournament would replace the ICC Champions Trophy.[10] No decision had been made concerning how to decide the outcome of drawn matches in the knock-out stages.
However, in 2011, the ICC announced that the Test Championship would not take place until 2017, and that the 2013 tournament would be cancelled because of financial problems within the board, and its commitment to its sponsors and broadcasters. England and Wales, the original hosts of this cancelled tournament, were awarded the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy instead, the tournament that the Test Championship was intended to replace.[11] This drew widespread criticism; both Greg Chappell and Graeme Smith criticised the ICC, saying that postponing the Test Championship was wrong and unjustified.[12][13] The Guardian reported that this postponement was a blow to Lord's, which had been expected to host the final.[14]
At the ICC Chief Executives' meeting in April 2012, it was confirmed that the ICC Champions Trophy would be last held in 2013 with the inaugural Test Championship play-offs being scheduled for June 2017.[15] The ICC said that there would be only one trophy for each format of the game, which meant that the Champions Trophy would no longer take place since the Cricket World Cup is the premier event for 50-over cricket.
The final would possibly have followed the historical timeless test format.[16] Further improvements in the structure of the championship have also been discussed.
However, in January 2014, the 2017 ICC World Test Championship was cancelled and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy was reinstated.[17]
In October 2017, the ICC announced that a Test league had been agreed upon by its members, which would involve the top nine teams playing series over two years with the top two teams qualifying for a World Test League Championship Final, which will be considered as an ICC event.[18]
Tournament summary
9-Team Tournaments
The first tournament began with the 2019 Ashes series. In March 2020, matches were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not resuming before July 2020, with several rounds of matches being postponed or ultimately cancelled. New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the final, when it was confirmed that the series between South Africa and Australia would not proceed,[19] followed by India. The inaugural World Test Championship Final was played between India and New Zealand from 18 to 23 June 2021 at Rose Bowl, Southampton, England.[20] Despite the opening and fourth day of the final being washed out by rain,[21] New Zealand managed to win in the final session of the reserve day and lifted the first World Test Championship trophy.[22]
The WTC 2021–23 cycle began in August 2021 with Pataudi Trophy (5 matches series between India and England).[23] The International Cricket Council officially announced the full programme with a new points system.[24] Australia qualified for the final by winning the 3rd Test Match of the 2022–23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.[25] India qualified after Sri Lanka failed to win the first match of their series in New Zealand,[26] qualifying for the final for the second consecutive time. The final was played from 7 June to 11 June 2023 at The Oval, London, England, with Australia emerging as champions after defeating India by 209 runs.[27] This was India's second consecutive defeat at the WTC final.[28]
The WTC 2023–25 cycle began with the 1st Ashes Test on 16 June 2023.[23] The International Cricket Council officially announced that the WTC final will be played at Lord's in the summer of 2025.[29] In the final, South Africa defeated Australia by 5 wickets to win their maiden championship. This was also their second ICC trophy after the 1998 KnockOut Trophy.[30] Aiden Makram was awarded Player of the Match.[31]
12-Team Championship
The 2027–2029 tournament is expected to include all 12 Test-playing nations, featuring Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland.[32] With plans for a two-tier system with promotion and relegation scrapped, the ICC is expected to include four-day tests for smaller nations.[33] This will allow weaker teams to play a similar amount of tests as stronger teams.[34]
Results
| Cycle | Number of teams | Final | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Winners | Result | Runners-up | Player of the final | Winning captain | Umpires | ||
| 2019–2021 | 9 | Rose Bowl, Southampton | New Zealand
249 & 140/2 |
New Zealand won by 8 wickets Scorecard |
 India
217 & 170 |
Kyle Jamieson
|
Kane Williamson
|
Michael Gough and Richard Illingworth
|
| 2021–2023 | The Oval, London | Australia
469 & 270/8d |
Australia won by 209 runs Scorecard |
India
296 & 234 |
Travis Head
|
Pat Cummins
|
Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth
| |
| 2023–2025 | Lord's, London | South Africa
138 & 282/5 |
South Africa won by 5 wickets Scorecard |
Australia
212 & 207 |
Aiden Markram
|
Temba Bavuma
|
Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth
| |
| 2025–2027 | ||||||||
Team performances
Overview
- As of 8 January 2026
| Team | Statistics | Best performance | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Tied | % Win | % Loss | % Draw | ||
| Australia |
62 | 40 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 64.51 | 20.96 | 14.51 | Champions (2021–2023) |
| South Africa |
45 | 25 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 55.55 | 40.00 | 4.45 | Champions (2023–2025) |
| New Zealand |
42 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 50.00 | 40.47 | 9.53 | Champions (2019–2021) |
| India |
65 | 35 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 53.84 | 35.38 | 10.78 | Runners-up (2019–2021, 2021–2023) |
| England |
75 | 35 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 46.66 | 41.33 | 12.00 | 4th place (2019–2021, 2021–2023) |
 Sri Lanka |
39 | 13 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 33.33 | 51.28 | 15.39 | 5th place (2021–2023) |
 Pakistan |
42 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 33.33 | 50.00 | 16.66 | 6th place (2019–2021) |
 Bangladesh |
33 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 15.15 | 75.75 | 9.10 | 7th place (2023–2025) |
 West Indies |
47 | 10 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 21.27 | 63.82 | 14.91 | 8th place (2019–2021, 2021–2023, 2023–2025) |
- Source: CricInfo[35]
- Key
| 1st | Winner |
| 2nd | Runners-up |
An overview of all the Test playing nations' performances:
Tournament Team |
2019–2021 | 2021–2023 | 2023–2025 | 2025–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia |
3rd | 1st | 2nd | |
| Bangladesh |
9th | 9th | 7th | |
| England |
4th | 4th | 5th | |
| India |
2nd | 2nd | 3rd | |
| New Zealand |
1st | 6th | 4th | |
| Pakistan |
6th | 7th | 9th | |
| South Africa |
5th | 3rd | 1st | |
| Sri Lanka |
7th | 5th | 6th | |
| West Indies |
8th | 8th | 8th |
Tournament records
- As of 8 January 2026
| Batting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most runs | Joe Root |
6,480[36] |
| Most hundreds | 23[37] | |
| Most runs in a single tournament | 1,968 (2023–2025)[38] | |
| Most hundreds in a single tournament | 8 (2021–23) | |
| Highest score | David Warner v Pakistan |
335* (2019–21)[39] |
| Bowling | ||
| Most wickets | Nathan Lyon |
224[40] |
| Most wickets in a single tournament | 88 (2021–23)[41] | |
| Best bowling in an innings | Ajaz Patel v India |
10/119 (2021–23)[42] |
| Best bowling in a match | 14/225 (2021–23)[43] | |
| Fielding | ||
| Most dismissals by a wicket-keeper | Alex Carey |
205[44] |
| Most dismissals in a single tournament | 98 (2023–25)[45] | |
| Most catches by a fielder | Steve Smith |
119[46] |
| Most catches in a single tournament | 43 (2023–25)[47] | |
| Team | ||
| Highest score | England v Pakistan |
823/7d (2023–25)[48] |
| Lowest score | West Indies v Australia |
27 (2025–27)[49] |
Trophy
The Test Mace was designed and made by British silversmiths, Thomas Lyte.[50] The mace is made of silver and 24-carat gold plate and the base is hardwood. The long handle was designed to represent a stump and the top of the trophy is designed like a cricket ball.[51]
See also
- Cricket World Cup
- ICC Men's T20 World Cup
- ICC Champions Trophy
- ACC Asian Test Championship
- 2005 ICC Super Series
References
- ^ "Test Championship to replace Champions Trophy". Cricinfo. 29 June 2013.
- ^ "England vs India to kick off the second World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Lord's to host next two WTC finals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "2027 World Test Championship final in England too". Times of India. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Official World Test championship gains momentum". The Indian Express. Reuters. 20 November 1996. Archived from the original on 24 April 1997. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ ICC calls meeting with MCC to discuss proposed World Test Championship, The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ "ICC news: Lorgat hints at Test championship in 2013 | Cricket News | Cricinfo ICC Site". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "ICC news: ICC could use 'timeless' Test for World Championship final | Cricket News | Cricinfo ICC Site". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ ICC to hold World Test Cup in 2013?, The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ a b ICC approves Test championship, ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ World Test Championship to be Postponed; Financial Considerations to Blame Archived 6 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Crickblog. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ Test Championship postponement a 'shame' – Greg Chappell ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ Ken Borland, ICC too slow on test championship says Smith, Stuff.co.nz, 17 November 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012
- ^ Lord's suffers Test Championship blow as ICC scraps mandatory DRS rule, The Guardian, 11 October 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2012
- ^ No Champions Trophy after 2013, Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 April 2012
- ^ "ICC could revive 'timeless' Test match for world championship". The Guardian. Press Association. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Cricket". 1News.
- ^ Brettig, Daniel (13 October 2017). "Test, ODI leagues approved by ICC Board". Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Scenarios: Who will face New Zealand in the WTC final?". ICC. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
After the postponement of the South Africa-Australia Test series, New Zealand were confirmed as one of the finalists of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, leaving one spot up for grabs for all of India, England and Australia.
- ^ "ICC announces World Cup schedule; 14 teams in 2027 And 2031". Six Sports. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "WTC final: India, New Zealand, and weather exercise thrift". Six Sports. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Not luck, not fluke - New Zealand deserve to be the World Test Champions". ESPNcricinfo. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ a b "ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "ICC to introduce new points system for World Test Championship". SportsTiger. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Travis Head leads charge to seal emphatic chase for Australia". ESPNcricinfo. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "India qualify for WTC final after New Zealand beat Sri Lanka in Christchurch". ESPNcricinfo. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "ICC World Test Championship Final 2021-23". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Sarkar, Pritha (12 June 2023). "India were chasing lost cause in WTC final after day two collapse". Reuters.
- ^ "The Oval and Lord's to host 2023 and 2025 WTC finals". ESPNCricinfo. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "History made at Lord's as South Africa triumph in WTC25 Final". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "History made at Lord's as South Africa triumph in WTC25 Final". Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Two-tier WTC model scuppered; ODI Super League revival on the cards". ESPNcricinfo. 11 November 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "ICC ready for 4-day Tests in 2027-29 WTC cycle; India, Australia, England to still play 5-day matches: Report". The Hindu. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "ICC World Test Championship 2027-29: WTC Expands to 12 Teams with Afghanistan, Ireland & Zimbabwe Making Debut". Zee News. 12 November 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "ICC World Test Championship Trophy team results summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Most Runs World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "Most centuries World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "Most runs in a tournament". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "High Scores World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Most Wickets World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Most wickets in a tournament World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Best Bowling Figures in an Innings World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Best Bowling Figures in a Match World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Most Dismissals for a wicket-keeper World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Most Dismissals in a tournament for a wicket-keeper World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Most Catches for a player World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Most Catches in a tournament for a player World Test Championship". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "Highest Team Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Lowest Team Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "ICC Test Mace: From makers to design and significance; here's all you need to know". www.timesnownews.com. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ "How The Mace For The ICC World Test Championship Winner Was Created | Watch Video". News18. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
External links
- Official website of the ICC World Test Championship
- Official website of ICC
- ICC World Test Championship ESPN Cricinfo
