| 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship | |
| Fromdate: | 1 August 2019 |
| Todate: | 23 June 2021 |
| Administrator: | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket Format: | Test cricket |
| Tournament Format: | League and Final |
| Host: | various |
| Count: | 1 |
| Participants: | 9 |
| Matches: | 61 |
| Most Runs: | Marnus Labuschagne (1675) |
| Most Wickets: | Ravichandran Ashwin (71) |
| Next Year: | 2021–2023 |
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket.[1] It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series,[2] and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, Southampton in June 2021.
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,[3] [4] each of whom was scheduled to play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consisted of between two and five matches, so although all teams were to play six series (three at home and three away), they were not scheduled to 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.[5] In the case of a draw or a tie in the final, the two teams playing the final would be declared joint champions.[5] However, 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.[6] [7]
Some of the Test series in this Championship were part of a longer ongoing series, such as the 2019 Ashes series.[5] 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.[5] On 29 July 2019, the ICC officially launched the World Test Championship.[8]
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.[9] [10] On 6 March 2021, India also confirmed their berth for the final, after beating England by 3–1 in a home Test series.[11] The final saw New Zealand win by eight wickets, securing their second global cricket title after their 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy win.[12]
The tournament was played over two years. Each team were scheduled to play 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.[13] Each match is scheduled for a duration of five days.
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,[14] so that every match counted.[15] 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.[16] 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 13 (a third of a third of 120), but the 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 |
The nine full members of the ICC who participated:
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 but these did not have bearing on the Championship.
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.[20]
Rather than being a full round-robin tournament in which everyone played everyone else equally, each team played only six of the other eight.
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 | Scheduled matches | Not scheduled to play against | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Home | Away | ||||
| 19 | 9 | 10 | ||||
| 12 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 21 | 11 | 10 | ||||
| 17 | 9 | 8 | ||||
| 13 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| 13 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| 16 | 9 | 7 | ||||
| 12 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 13 | 6 | 7 | ||||
All the series were mutually agreed between the two nations involved;[20] this had led to allegations that the schedule has been agreed based on what would provide the biggest television audiences, and therefore television receipts,[21] rather than selecting an even spread of teams.
Since each team played a different set of opponents, they can be considered as having an easier or harder schedules.
See main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cricket. 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.[22] Later the same month, the two-match series between Sri Lanka and England was also postponed.[23] The following month saw Australia's tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies tour to England being postponed.[24] [25] 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.[26] [27] South Africa's tour of the West Indies was postponed, after the fixtures clashed with the West Indies rescheduled tour to England.[28] [29]
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.[30] 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.[6] [7]
The International Cricket Council declared a total prize money pool of US$3.8 million for the tournament. The prize money was allocated according to the performance of the team as follows:[31]
| Position | Prize money (US$) | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | $1,600,000 | |
| Runner-up | $800,000 | |
| Third | $450,000 | |
| Fourth | $350,000 | |
| Fifth | $200,000 | |
| Sixth | $100,000 | |
| Seventh | $100,000 | |
| Eighth | $100,000 | |
| Ninth | $100,000 | |
| Total | $3,800,000 |
See also: International cricket in 2019.
See main article: 2019 Ashes series.
See main article: New Zealand cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2019.
See main article: Indian cricket team in the West Indies and the United States in 2019.
See also: International cricket in 2019–20.
See main article: South African cricket team in India in 2019–20.
See main article: Bangladeshi cricket team in India in 2019–20.
See main article: Pakistani cricket team in Australia in 2019–20.
See main article: Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan in 2019–20.
See main article: New Zealand cricket team in Australia in 2019–20.
See main article: English cricket team in South Africa in 2019–20.
See main article: Bangladeshi cricket team in Pakistan in 2019–20. The second match was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] Due to a busy schedule, the match would be postponed until the 2021–22 season and outside the Championship season.[36]
See main article: Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2019–20.
See also: International cricket in 2020.
See main article: Australian cricket team in Bangladesh in 2020. This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See main article: West Indian cricket team in England in 2020. This series was originally scheduled for June 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[37]
See main article: Pakistani cricket team in England in 2020.
See main article: New Zealand cricket team in Bangladesh in 2020. This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also: International cricket in 2020–21.
See main article: West Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2020–21.
See main article: Indian cricket team in Australia in 2020–21.
See main article: Pakistani cricket team in New Zealand in 2020–21.
See main article: Sri Lankan cricket team in South Africa in 2020–21.
See main article: English cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2020–21. This series was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]
See main article: South African cricket team in Pakistan in 2020–21.
See main article: West Indian cricket team in Bangladesh in 2020–21. This was originally a three-match series scheduled for January 2021.
See main article: English cricket team in India in 2020–21. This was originally a five-match series.[39]
See main article: Australian cricket team in South Africa in 2020–21. 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.[40]
See main article: Sri Lankan cricket team in the West Indies in 2020–21.
See main article: Bangladeshi cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2020–21. 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.
See also: International cricket in 2021.
See main article: South African cricket team in the West Indies in 2021. This series was scheduled to be played in July 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See main article: 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final. ----
| width= | Pos. | width= | Team | width= | Prize money (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,600,000 | ||||
| 2 | $800,000 | ||||
| 3 | $450,000 | ||||
| 4 | $350,000 | ||||
| 5 | $200,000 | ||||
| 6 | $100,000 | ||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 |
The top 5 players in each category are listed.
| Runs | Batsman | Mat | Inns | NO | Ave | HS | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,675 | Marnus Labuschagne | 13 | 23 | 0 | 72.82 | 215 | 5 | 9 | |
| 1,660 | 20 | 37 | 2 | 47.43 | 228 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1,341 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 63.85 | 211 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 1,334 | 17 | 32 | 3 | 46.00 | 176 | 6 | |||
| 1,159 | 18 | 30 | 3 | 42.92 | 115 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[41] | |||||||||
| Wkts | Bowler | Mat | Inns | Runs | Overs | BBI | BBM | Avg | 5WI | 10WM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 14 | 26 | 1,444 | 549.4 | 7/145 | 9/207 | 20.33 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 70 | 14 | 28 | 1,472 | 555.3 | 5/28 | 7/69 | 21.02 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 69 | 17 | 32 | 1,386 | 499.3 | 6/31 | 10/67 | 20.08 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 56 | 11 | 22 | 1,166 | 431.3 | 5/32 | 9/110 | 20.82 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 14 | 27 | 1,757 | 630.5 | 6/49 | 10/118 | 31.37 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[42] | |||||||||||
| Dismissals | Player | Mat | Inns | Catches | Stumping | BBI | Dis/Inn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 14 | 28 | 63 | 2 | 5 | 2.321 | |||
| 50 | 13 | 22 | 48 | 2 | 6 | 2.272 | |||
| 18 | 25 | 49 | 1 | 4 | 2.000 | ||||
| 48 | BJ Watling | 11 | 22 | 47 | 1 | 5 | 2.181 | ||
| 41 | Rishabh Pant | 12 | 24 | 35 | 6 | 4 | 1.708 | ||
| Last updated: 11 June 2023[43] | |||||||||
| Dismissals | Player | Mat | Inns | Catches | Dis/Inn | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 20 | 38 | 3 | 0.894 | |||||
| 27 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 1.038 | |||||
| 25 | 17 | 33 | 5 | 0.757 | |||||
| 23 | Ajinkya Rahane | 18 | 36 | 3 | 0.638 | ||||
| 21 | Ross Taylor | 12 | 24 | 3 | 0.875 | ||||
| Last updated: 11 June 2023[44] | |||||||||
| Runs | Batsman | Balls | 4s | 6s | Opposition | Venue | Match date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 335 | 418 | 39 | 1 | Pakistan | 29November 2019 | ||||
| 267 | 393 | 34 | 21 August 2020 | ||||||
| 254 | 336 | 33 | 2 | South Africa | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | 10 October 2019 | |||
| 251 | 412 | 34 | West Indies | 3 December 2020 | |||||
| 244 | 437 | 26 | 0 | Bangladesh | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele | 21 April 2021 | |||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[45] | |||||||||
| Figure | Bowler | Overs | Mdns | Econ | Opposition | Venue | Match date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/137 | 42.0 | 6 | 3.26 | England | 22 January 2021 | ||||
| 7/145 | 46.2 | 11 | 3.12 | South Africa | 2 October 2019 | ||||
| 6/27 | 12.1 | 3 | 2.21 | West Indies | 30 August 2019 | ||||
| 6/31 | 14.0 | 4 | 2.21 | 24 July 2020 | |||||
| 6/38 | 21.4 | 6 | 1.75 | England | 24 February 2021 | ||||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[46] | |||||||||
| Figure | Bowler | Overs | Mdns | Opposition | Venue | Match date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/70 | 36.4 | 9 | England | 25 February 2021 | |||||
| 11/117 | 41 | 14 | Pakistan | 3 January 2021 | |||||
| 11/178 | 64 | 17 | Bangladesh | 29 April 2021 | |||||
| 10/67 | 22.1 | 5 | West Indies | 24 July 2020 | |||||
| 10/114 | 31.4 | 4 | South Africa | 4 February 2021 | |||||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[47] | |||||||||
| Average | Batsman | Matches | Innings | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72.82 | 13 | 23 | 1,675 | 215 | 5 | 9 | ||
| 66.57 | 10 | 17 | 932 | 143 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 63.85 | 13 | 22 | 1,341 | 211 | 6 | |||
| 61.20 | 10 | 16 | 918 | 251 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 60.77 | 12 | 19 | 1,094 | 212 | 4 | |||
| Qualification: Minimum 10 innings Last updated: 23 June 2021[48] | ||||||||
| Average | Bowler | Matches | Wkts | Runs | Balls | BBI | BBM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.59 | 3 | 27 | 286 | 766 | 6/38 | 11/70 | ||
| 12.53 | 7 | 43 | 539 | 1,478 | 6/48 | 11/117 | ||
| 17.79 | 12 | 39 | 694 | 1,496 | 5/22 | 9/78 | ||
| 18.55 | 7 | 27 | 538 | 962 | 5/53 | 8/82 | ||
| 19.51 | 12 | 39 | 761 | 1,991 | 6/40 | 7/63 | ||
| Qualification: Minimum 500 deliveries bowled Last updated: 23 June 2021[49] | ||||||||
| Score | Team | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 659/6d | 158.5 | 4.14 | 2 | 3 January 2021 | ||||
| 648/8d | 179 | 3.62 | 2 | 21 April 2021 | ||||
| 621 | 142.1 | 4.36 | 2 | 26 December 2020 | ||||
| 601/5d | 156.3 | 3.84 | 1 | 10 October 2019 | ||||
| 589/3d | 127.0 | 4.63 | 1 | 29November 2019 | ||||
| (d=declared) Last updated: 23 June 2021[50] | ||||||||
| Score | Team | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 21.2 | 1.68 | 3 | Adelaide Cricket Ground | 19 December 2020 | |||
| 67 | 27.5 | 2.40 | 2 | 22 August 2019 | ||||
| 81 | 30.4 | 2.64 | 3 | 25 February 2021 | ||||
| 97 | 40.5 | 2.37 | 1 | 10 June 2021 | ||||
| 100 | 26.5 | 3.72 | 4 | 22 August 2019 | ||||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[51] | ||||||||
| Score | Team | Target | Overs | RR | Opposition | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 395/7 | 395 | 127.3 | 3.10 | 7 February 2021 | ||||
| 362/9 | 359 | 125.4 | 2.88 | 25 August 2019 | ||||
| 329/7 | 328 | 97.0 | 3.39 | 19 January 2021 | ||||
| 277/7 | 277 | 82.1 | 3.37 | 8 August 2020 | ||||
| 268/4 | 268 | 86.1 | 3.11 | 18 August 2019 | ||||
| Last updated: 23 June 2021[52] | ||||||||