Cricket has long lived since its early arrival in North America in the 17th century, and it has continued to grow and span throughout other areas of the globe. Now, it dominates as a noteworthy sport that can bring excitement as different teams vie for the top spot in various tournaments.
Moreover, the sport shines even more, mainly as it’s celebrated globally with the ICC World Test Championship. With this tournament, teams from qualifying countries battle in a game series to win the title. Furthermore, be sure to read below to learn more about such a tournament, when and where it will happen, and where you can watch the game:
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What Is The ICC World Test Championship?
The International Cricket Court (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) is a two-year match comprising nine global teams. Likewise, the end of the tournament sees an undisputed World Champion and a showpiece decider. Although the tournament was just launched in 2019 and ended in 2021, fans are still guaranteed plenty of cricket action as teams battle one another over two years.
The ICC World Test Championship teams are New Zealand, Australia, India, England, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. These teams will play against one another (called a series) of three aways and three homes. However, these teams won’t have the same number of matches in the cycle but are ensured the same match series.
Since cricket has a long tradition and legacies since its arrival, the ICC World Test Championship deemed it essential to honor such. Furthermore, the tournament is a first-class cricket competition that holds respect for the most extended and traditional format of the sport.
The ICC World Test Championship offers you two years of cricket excitement. It’s also an event you can have more fun with, especially when betting, so it’s only best to consider looking into the current point standings of each team. Doing so will allow you to make an objective and concrete decision before checking out cricket at betway and placing a wager.
What Is the Point System?
The 2019 Championship had a point system now revamped in this year’s edition. In the past cycles, the game matches were worth 120 points, with those points equally divided. If a team won a match in a five-match series, they would gain 24 points; if a team won a match in a two-match series, they would gain 60 points.
With this point system, you’d think the teams with the most points at the end of the qualifying rounds would progress to the Championships. However, the test program decided that the 2019 edition point system will have one basic rule: the standings will be determined by the percentage of available points collected.
Although the new system still follows this rule with the standings, the number of available points per match is uniform. In the 2021-2023 World Test, each match will have 12 points for a win, six for a tie, and four for a draw.
No matter the length of the series, this system allows you to compare the performance of each team relatively. Moreover, having uniform points will also standardize any imbalance in the number of matches played by each team.
When And Where Will the Championship Commence?
The Championships will be held at the iconic location at The Oval in London on June 7 to 11, 2023. Moreover, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice stated how The Oval’s rich legacy would contribute significantly to the ideal Championship atmosphere.
The last edition’s cricket grounds were held in Southampton from June 18 to 23, with an engrossing encounter between New Zealand and India. Likewise, the ICC deemed it was essential to have a six-day event to maximize the chances of a win instead of a draw. Moreover, the opening day was without challenges, as it was lost to rain. Nonetheless, New Zealand reigned supreme during the 2019 ICC WTC!
This year, fans can look forward to the subsequent encounter at The Oval with Australia vs. India. These two teams have conquered the point system leaderboard – with Australia having a PCT (Percentage Per Score) of 66.67% and 152 points and India garnering a PCT of 58.8% and 127 points.
Where Can I Watch the Championship?
Since this is an international tournament, you can expect a broad array of live broadcasts for the game – all of which are listed on the official page of the ICC. Furthermore, you can see well-known TV broadcasters such as Sky Sports, Fox Sports, and BBC, and even digital streaming sites such as Sky Sport Now.
If you want to watch the game live, you can always buy your ticket at the official site of The Oval. If the tickets are already sold out, you could also check for any resale availability among the dates. Since the championship lasts five days, you must check for ticket resales on all five dates.
Final Thoughts
The ICC World Test Championships is one event that will make it into cricket history. With two years of matches, it’s no wonder cricket fans are excited as it will finally conclude this June 2023. So be sure to mark your calendar and stay tuned for updates!