The final of the second eddition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) will be played between 7 and 11 June 2023 at The Oval in England, announced ICC on Wednesday. WTC is the pinnacle event in the Test calendar and is a week-long celebration of the longest format of the game. This Ultimate Test is the culmination of two years of intense competition in the ICC World Test Championship, spanning 61 Test matches over 24 series played to date.
While the two competing nations may not yet be known, there are a host of significant fixtures due to play out in the coming weeks to determine the Finalists, and excitement is building ahead of June’s clash.
Australia currently top the standings, with India in hot pursuit in second place, and both teams go head-to-head across a four-Test series from 9 February with a place at The Oval, and the coveted ICC World Test Championship Mace, firmly in their sights.
India need to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy comprising four Tests to stand a chance of qualify for the WTC final.
While six teams in total stand a chance of qualification, among the frontrunners to challenge the top two are Sri Lanka, who sit third in the standings and South Africa in fourth, who take on reigning WTC champions New Zealand and the West Indies respectively over two two-Test series during February and March.
“Leading Team India out onto the field of play at the World Test Championship Final would be special. We have grown and developed as a team during this competition and to be in with a chance of lifting the Mace at the Oval in June, we know we first need to overcome a tough Australia side," said India captain Rohit Sharma on being a potential finalist.
{{/usCountry}}“Leading Team India out onto the field of play at the World Test Championship Final would be special. We have grown and developed as a team during this competition and to be in with a chance of lifting the Mace at the Oval in June, we know we first need to overcome a tough Australia side," said India captain Rohit Sharma on being a potential finalist.
{{/usCountry}}Australia skipper Pat Cummins also sounded confident of reaching the finale.
“The prospect of playing in the World Test Championship Final has been a big motivator for us over the last couple of years, more so now having missed out on over rates last time. We are confident we can secure a place while here in India after a really strong 12 months. The Final would be a great reward for the players and staff who have done so well.”