The ICC’s World Test Championship was introduced to add context to bilateral series by rewarding teams for winning and losing, even when they might be playing a ‘dead rubber’. It also aims to increase the appeal of Test cricket in a world where many players are tempted by lucrative Twenty 20 tournaments and domestic contracts. Each WTC cycle lasts two years and each team plays six series – three at home and three away – with 12 points awarded for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw. Teams can also lose points for failing to bowl their overs at the required speed.
With two enthralling finals to date, the next chapter of this competition begins on Wednesday at Lord’s — the venue that hosted the previous contests between England and India in 2021 and South Africa and Australia in 2023. The game will be the final of the 2025-2027 cycle and a chance for Australia to retain the mace they won in June last year.
The Proteas, led by first-time captain Temba Bavuma, will be favourites and have the advantage of familiarity with the pitch. Australia, meanwhile, have prepared for the final with a mix of county cricket in the UK and practice sessions at their home base in Perth. If they can avoid another major disappointment after their loss to the Proteas in the World Cup and IPL finals, the Australian players would cement their status as the world’s premier Test side.