ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 Final: All You Need To Know

ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 is about to conclude with an exciting battle between India and Australia. The stage is set, anticipation is high, and cricket fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the culmination of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-2023. Introduced in 2019 by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the WTC aimed to bring a new level of excitement and context to Test Cricket. Now, as its second season draws to a close, the top two teams, India and Australia, are preparing to face off in a historic final to determine the ultimate champion of Test cricket. This article’ll delve into all the details surrounding the WTC 2023 Final.

Format and Inception of The World Test Championship

The ICC introduced the WTC in 2019 as an initiative to revive and rejuvenate Test cricket. Realizing the need to bring relevance and meaning to every Test match, the ICC devised a two-year tournament involving 9 teams that would culminate in a final to crown the best Test team in the world. The inaugural season of the WTC spanned from August 2019 to June 2021, and New Zealand won the first edition as they defeated India in the WTC 2019-2021 Finals.

The WTC format follows a points-based system, where each team competes in a series of Test matches against different opponents. Twelve points are awarded for a win, four for a draw, and six for a tie. The top two teams with the highest percentage of points earned during the stipulated period qualify for the final showdown.

World Test Championship 2021-2023 Points Table

Teams	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn	NR	Points	Percentage
Australia	19	11	3	5	0	152	66.67
India	18	10	5	3	0	127	58.8
South Africa	15	8	6	1	0	100	55.56
England	22	10	8	4	0	124	46.97
Sri Lanka	12	5	6	1	0	64	44.44
New Zealand	13	4	6	3	0	60	38.46
Pakistan	14	4	6	4	0	64	38.1
West Indies	13	4	7	2	0	54	34.62
Bangladesh	12	1	10	1	0	16	11.11

WTC 2021-2023 Statistics

119 centuries and 16032 runs have been scored by various batters in the ongoing WTC. Let’s find out the top 5 WTC 2021-2023 run-scorers.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	H.S	Average	50s	100s
Joe Root	22	40	1915	180*	53.19	6	8
Usman Khawaja	16	28	1608	195*	69.91	7	6
Babar Azam	14	26	1527	196	61.08	10	4
M Labuschagne	19	33	1509	204	53.89	5	5
J Bairstow	15	28	1285	162	51.40	2	6

We have seen some top spells from bowlers across the WTC matches. Let’s find out the top 5 WTC 2021-2023 wicket-takers.

Players	Matches	Innings	Wickets	Average	BBI
Nathan Lyon	19	32	83	26.97	8/64
Kagiso Rabada	13	22	67	21.05	6/50
R Ashwin	13	26	61	19.67	6/91
James Anderson	15	28	58	20.37	5/60
Ollie Robinson	13	25	53	20.75	5/49

The Road To The Finals

Both India and Australia have displayed exceptional skills and resilience throughout the WTC journey, securing their places in the final. Over the course of the tournament, these teams faced formidable opponents and triumphed in various challenging conditions.

India, with their perfect blend of experienced stalwarts and emerging talents, conquered their home series against Sri Lanka and Australia. They also put up remarkable performances on away tours against England and Bangladesh.

Australia, known for its exceptional bowling attack and solid batting lineup, displayed its traditional grit and determination in the WTC 2021-2023 cycle. They secured home victories against England and West Indies while also showcasing their mettle on away tours against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Important Updates

• Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant have been officially ruled out of the WTC 2021-2023 Final.
• Josh Hazelwood has recovered from the injury and will be available for selection against India in the WTC Final.
• Ajinkya Rahane has returned to India’s Test side.

Squads For The World Test Championship 2021-2023 Final

India:

1. Rohit Sharma (Captain)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Shubman Gill
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. KS Bharat (WK)
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
8. Ravindra Jadeja
9. Axar Patel
10. Shardul Thakur
11. Mohammad Shami
12. Mohammad Siraj
13. Umesh Yadav
14. Jaydev Unadkat
15. Ishan Kishan-KL Rahul’s replacement

Australia:

1. Pat Cummins (Captain)
2. Steve Smith (Vice-Captain)
3. Scott Boland
4. Josh Hazelwood
5. Mitchell Starc
6. Nathan Lyon
7. David Warner
8. Alex Carey (WK)
9. Cameron Green
10. Marcus Harris
11. Travis Head
12. Josh Inglis
13. Todd Murphy
14. Usman Khawaja
15. Matthew Renshaw
16. Marnus Labuschagne
17. Mitchell Marsh

WTC 2021-2023 Final Venue, Date, and Timings

The World Test Championship 2021-2023 Final is set to take place from 7-11th June 2023 at The Oval, which is situated in South London, England. This grand event holds tremendous significance as it marks the conclusion of two years of intense competition and serves as a platform to celebrate the longest and purest form of cricket.