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]
 ICC World Test Championship 2019–21 Logo | |
| Dates | 1 August 2019 – 22 June 2021 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | Test cricket |
| Tournament format(s) | League and Final |
| Participants | 9 |
| Official website | www |
It came 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 featured nine of the twelve Test playing nations,[4][5] each of whom did play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consisted of between two and five matches, so although all teams played six series (three at home and three away), they did not play the same number of Tests. Each team were 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 would contest the final.[6] In the case of a draw or a tie in the final, the two teams playing the final would be declared joint champions.[6]
Some of the Test series in this Championship were part of a longer ongoing series, such as the 2019 Ashes series.[6] Also, some of these nine teams would play additional Test matches during this period which were 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 or cancelled. In November 2020, the ICC announced that the finalists would be decided by percentage of points earned.[8][9]
On 2 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia postponed their away series against South Africa, resulting in a guaranteed berth in the final for New Zealand.[10][11]
Format
The tournament was played over two years. Each team played six other opponents, three at home and three away. Each series consisted of between two and five Test matches. Therefore, all participants did not play the same number of Tests, but played the same number of series. At the end of the league stage the top two teams played in the final.[12] Each match was scheduled for a duration of five days. All players involved had a squad number, even if they had never made their debuts in ODI or T20I teams.
Point scoring
The ICC decided that the same number of points would be available from each series, regardless of series length, so that countries that played fewer Tests were not disadvantaged. It also decided that points would not be awarded for series results, but for match results only. These would be split equally between all the matches in the series, regardless of whether or not a match was a dead rubber,[13] so that every match counted.[14] In a five-match series, therefore, 20% of the points would be available each match, while in a two-match series, 50% of the points would 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 would 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.[15] This all meant 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 happened to consist of. Ultimately, this meant 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 was split into all these fractions, an integer was 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 had been dropped.
Each series would 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 was behind the required over rate at the end of a match would have two competition points deducted for each over it was behind.[17] 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.[18]
Participants
The nine full members of the ICC who participated were:
Since each team played only six of the eight possible opponents, the ICC announced that India and Pakistan would not play against each other in the first and second editions of the tournament.
The three full members of the ICC who did not participate:
These were the three lowest ranked full members of the ICC. They had been included in the ICC Future Tours Programme; they played a number of Test matches during this period against Championship participants and each other[19] but these did not have bearing on the Championship.[20]
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.[21]
Therefore, the total number of matches played by each team (home and away) in this tournament, and the two countries that each side did not face in this tournament, were as follows. (Note this was not the total Test matches played by each team during this period, as some countries did play further matches during this period which were 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 did not play in this Championship.)
| Team | Matches | Did not play against | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Home | Away | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 19 | 9 | 10 |  Sri Lanka and  West Indies |
 Bangladesh | 12 | 6 | 6 |  England and  South Africa |
| England | 21 | 11 | 10 | Bangladesh and  New Zealand |
 India | 17 | 9 | 8 |  Pakistan and Sri Lanka |
| New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | England and South Africa |
| Pakistan | 13 | 6 | 7 | India and West Indies |
| South Africa | 16 | 9 | 7 | Bangladesh and New Zealand |
| Sri Lanka | 12 | 6 | 6 | Australia and India |
| West Indies | 13 | 6 | 7 | Australia and Pakistan |
Variations in strength of opponents
Rather than being a full round-robin tournament in which everyone played everyone else equally, each team played only six of the other eight. Each team played a different set of opponents, and so can be considered as having an easier or harder schedule.
All the series were mutually agreed between the two nations involved;[22] this had led to allegations that the schedule has been agreed based on what would provide the biggest television audiences, and therefore television receipts,[23] rather than selecting an even spread of teams.
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 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.[24] Later the same month, the two-match series between Sri Lanka and England was also postponed.[25] The following month saw Australia's tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies tour to England being postponed.[26][27] 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.[28][29] South Africa's tour of the West Indies was postponed, after the fixtures clashed with the West Indies rescheduled tour to England.[30][31]
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.[32] The ICC ultimately accepted several series would not take place as part of the Championship and changed the points system to account for the variation in the number of series played per team.[8][9]
League stage
League table
| Pos | Team | Series | Matches | PC | PCT | Ded | Points | RpW Ratio | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | P | W | L | D | T | |||||||
| 1 | India | 6* | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 600 | 71.7% | 0 | 430 | 1.619 |
| 2 | New Zealand (Q) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 600 | 70.0% | 0 | 420 | 1.281 |
| 3 | Australia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 480 | 69.2% | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 332 | 1.392 |
| 4 | England | 6* | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 600 | 68.7% | 0 | 412 | 1.251 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 5.5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 660 | 43.3% | 0 | 286 | 0.822 |
| 6 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 480 | 30.0% | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 144 | 0.693 |
| 7 | West Indies | 4* | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 420 | 23.8% | 0 | 100 | 0.553 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 480 | 16.7% | 0 | 80 | 0.586 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 2.5* | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 00.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.483 |
| Last updated: 8 February 2021. Source:International Cricket Council[35] | |||||||||||||||
- The top two teams advance to the final.
- Teams are ranked by PCT. If two teams are tied on PCT, then they are ranked by runs per wicket ratio. If teams are still tied, ranking is determined by matches won in series between the teams, finally by ranking in the Men’s Test Team Rankings as at 30 April 2021.[36]
- Under the original rules, teams were ranked first by points. If two teams were tied on points, the team that won more series was ranked higher. If teams were still equal, the runs per wicket ratio was used.[37] This ranking system was amended in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing some series to be cancelled, meaning not all teams would compete for the same number of points.[38]
- *indicates ongoing series
- Teams are eliminated from final.
- Teams are qualified for final.
2019
The Ashes (England v Australia)
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 |
Trans-Tasman Trophy (Australia v New Zealand)
v |
Basil D'Oliveira Trophy (South Africa v England)
16–20 January 2020 Scorecard |
v |
England won by an innings and 53 runs St George's Park Cricket Ground, Port Elizabeth Points: England 30, South Africa 0 |
Pakistan v Bangladesh
The second match was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] Due to a busy schedule, the match would be postponed until the 2021–22 season and outside the Championship season.[39]
7–11 February 2020 Scorecard |
v |
Pakistan won by an innings and 44 runs Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Points: Pakistan 60, Bangladesh 0 |
2020
Bangladesh v Australia
This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wisden Trophy (England v West Indies)
West Indies v South Africa
This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
England v Pakistan
Bangladesh v New Zealand
This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020–21
New Zealand v West Indies
3–7 December 2020 Scorecard |
v |
New Zealand won by an innings and 134 runs Seddon Park, Hamilton Points: New Zealand 60, West Indies 0 |
11–15 December 2020 Scorecard |
v |
New Zealand won by an innings and 12 runs Basin Reserve, Wellington Points: New Zealand 60, West Indies 0 |
Border–Gavaskar Trophy (Australia v India)
v |
New Zealand v Pakistan
3–7 January 2021 Scorecard |
v |
New Zealand won by an innings and 176 runs Hagley Oval, Christchurch Points: New Zealand 60, Pakistan 0 |
South Africa v Sri Lanka
26–30 December 2020 Scorecard |
v |
South Africa won by an innings and 45 runs Centurion Park, Centurion Points: South Africa 60, Sri Lanka 0 |
Sri Lanka v England
The two-match Test series was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40]
Bangladesh v West Indies
This was originally a three-match series scheduled for January 2021.
3–7 February 2021 Scorecard |
v |
West Indies won by 3 wickets Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong Points: West Indies 60, Bangladesh 0 |
Anthony de Mello Trophy (India v England)
Sobers–Tissera Trophy (West Indies v Sri Lanka)
South Africa v Australia
This series did not take place as originally scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not be a part of the Championship season.[41]
Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
This series originally comprised three Test matches and was scheduled for July–August 2020, then postponed to October 2020, but was rescheduled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, the Bangladesh Cricket Board was considering touring Sri Lanka in April 2021 to play two Test matches.
Final match
Statistics
Individual statistics
The top 5 players in each category are listed.
Most runs
| Batsman | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | Ave | HS | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marnus Labuschagne | 13 | 23 | 0 | 1675 | 72.82 | 215 | 5 | 9 |
| Joe Root | 17* | 31 | 2 | 1550 | 53.45 | 228 | 3 | 8 |
| Steve Smith | 13 | 22 | 1 | 1341 | 63.85 | 211 | 4 | 7 |
| Ben Stokes | 14* | 26 | 3 | 1220 | 53.04 | 176 | 4 | 5 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 14* | 23 | 3 | 984 | 49.20 | 115 | 3 | 5 |
| [*=playing] Last Update: 8 February 2021[42] | ||||||||
Most wickets
| Bowler | Mat | Inns | Wkts | Runs | Overs | BBI | BBM | Avg | 5WI | 10WM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Cummins | 14 | 28 | 70 | 1472 | 555.3 | 5/28 | 7/69 | 21.02 | 1 | 0 |
| Stuart Broad | 15 | 29 | 69 | 1308 | 456.3 | 6/31 | 10/67 | 18.95 | 2 | 1 |
| Nathan Lyon | 14 | 27 | 56 | 1757 | 630.5 | 6/49 | 10/118 | 31.37 | 4 | 1 |
| Tim Southee | 10 | 20 | 51 | 1054 | 390.3 | 5/32 | 9/110 | 20.66 | 3 | 0 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 11 | 21 | 48 | 986 | 385.2 | 5/8 | 9/115 | 20.54 | 3 | 0 |
| Last Update: 19 January 2021[43] | ||||||||||
Highest individual score
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Opposition | Ground | Match date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 335* | 418 | 39 | 1 | Pakistan | Adelaide | 29 November 2019 | |
| Zak Crawley | 267 | 393 | 34 | 1 | Pakistan | Southampton | 21 August 2020 | |
| Virat Kohli | 254* | 336 | 33 | 2 | South Africa | Pune | 10 October 2019 | |
| Kane Williamson | 251 | 412 | 34 | 2 | West Indies | Hamilton | 3 December 2020 | |
| Mayank Agarwal | 243 | 330 | 28 | 8 | Bangladesh | Indore | 14 November 2019 | |
| Last Update: 6 December 2020[44] | ||||||||
Best bowling figures in an innings
| Bowler | Wkts | Runs | Overs | Mdns | Econ | Opposition | Ground | Match date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Embuldeniya | 7 | 137 | 42 | 6 | 3.26 | England | Galle | 25 January 2021 | |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 7 | 145 | 46.2 | 11 | 3.12 | South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 October 2019 | |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 6 | 27 | 12.1 | 3 | 2.21 | West Indies | Sabina Park | 30 August 2019 | |
| Stuart Broad | 6 | 31 | 14.0 | 4 | 2.21 | West Indies | Old Trafford | 24 July 2020 | |
| James Anderson | 6 | 40 | 29 | 13 | 1.37 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 22 January 2021 | |
| Last Update: 24 January 2021[45] | |||||||||
Best bowling figures in a match
| Bowler | Wkts | Runs | Overs | Mdns | Opposition | Ground | Match date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Jamieson | 11 | 117 | 41 | 14 | Pakistan | Christchurch | 3 January 2021 | |
| Stuart Broad | 10 | 67 | 22.1 | 5 | West Indies | Old Trafford | 24 July 2020 | |
| Hasan Ali | 10 | 114 | 31.4 | 4 | South Africa | Rawalpindi | 4 February 2021 | |
| Nathan Lyon | 10 | 118 | 47.3 | 14 | New Zealand | Sydney | 3 January 2020 | |
| Lasith Embuldeniya | 10 | 210 | 62 | 9 | England | Galle | 25 January 2021 | |
| Last Update: 8 February 2021[46] | ||||||||
Best batting averages
Players with a minimum of 500 runs scored listed.
| Batsman | Matches | Runs | Average | HS | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marnus Labuschagne | 13 | 1675 | 72.82 | 215 | 5 | 9 |
| Babar Azam | 10 | 932 | 66.57 | 143 | 4 | 5 |
| Steve Smith | 13 | 1341 | 63.85 | 211 | 4 | 6 |
| Rohit Sharma | 8 | 703 | 58.58 | 212 | 3 | 1 |
| Kane Williamson | 9 | 817 | 58.35 | 251 | 3 | 1 |
| Last Update: 8 February 2021[47] | ||||||
Best bowling averages
A minimum of 15 wickets is required to be listed.
| Bowler | Matches | Wkts | Average | BBI | BBM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Jamieson | 6 | 36 | 13.27 | 6/48 | 11/117 |
| Ishant Sharma | 8* | 33 | 16.39 | 5/22 | 9/78 |
| Umesh Yadav | 7 | 29 | 18.55 | 5/53 | 8/82 |
| Stuart Broad | 15 | 69 | 18.95 | 6/31 | 10/67 |
| Mohammed Shami | 10 | 36 | 19.77 | 5/35 | 7/58 |
| [*=playing] Last Update: 8 February 2021[48] | |||||
Team statistics
The top 5 in each category are listed
Highest team totals
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 659/6d | 158.5 | 4.14 | 2 | Pakistan | Christchurch | 3 January 2021 |
| South Africa | 621 | 142.1 | 4.36 | 2 | Sri Lanka | Centurion | 26 December 2020 |
| India | 601/5d | 156.3 | 3.84 | 1 | South Africa | Pune | 10 October 2019 |
| Australia | 589/3d | 127.0 | 4.63 | 1 | Pakistan | Adelaide | 29 November 2019 |
| England | 583/8d | 154.4 | 3.76 | 1 | Pakistan | Southampton | 21 August 2020 |
| (d=declared) Last Update: 5 January 2021[49] | |||||||
Lowest team totals
Only all-out totals are listed. (No Declaration)
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 36 | 21.2 | 1.68 | 3 | Australia | Adelaide | 17 December 2020 |
| England | 67 | 27.5 | 2.40 | 2 | Australia | Headingley | 22 August 2019 |
| West Indies | 100 | 26.5 | 3.72 | 4 | India | North Sound | 22 August 2019 |
| Bangladesh | 106 | 30.3 | 3.47 | 1 | India | Kolkata | 22 November 2019 |
| West Indies | 117 | 47.1 | 2.48 | 2 | India | Kingston | 30 August 2019 |
| Last Update: 22 December 2020[50] | |||||||
Highest successful run-chases
| Team | Score | Target | Overs | RR | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies | 395/7 | 395 | 127.3 | 3.10 | Bangladesh | Chittagong | 7 February 2021 |
| England | 362/9 | 359 | 125.4 | 2.88 | Australia | Headingley | 25 August 2019 |
| India | 329/7 | 328 | 97.0 | 3.39 | Australia | The Gabba | 19 January 2021 |
| England | 277/7 | 277 | 82.1 | 3.37 | Pakistan | Old Trafford | 8 August 2020 |
| Sri Lanka | 268/4 | 268 | 86.1 | 3.11 | New Zealand | Galle | 18 August 2019 |
| Last Update: 7 February 2021[51] | |||||||
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With regards to the points system, one general rule of any competition was 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.
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16.12.2 Where two or more teams have an identical Points Percentage at the end of the Round Stage, the following criteria shall be used to determine positions in the World Test Championship Points Table: 16.12.2.1 The team with the superior runs per wicket ratio... will be placed higher. 16.12.2.2 If still equal, the team that has the superior record in terms of matches won in series between the teams level on points shall be placed higher; 16.12.2.3 If still equal, the team that is ranked in the higher position in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings as at the final day of the Competition Window (Friday 30 April 2021) shall be placed higher.
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