The Test format in cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and what all cricketers strive for. It's probably due to the length of these matches (up to 5 days) that interest started to dwindle. Fearing a complete loss of interest, the International Cricket Council (ICC) - the governing body for cricket - were thinking of ideas to reignite interest in the format. Everything led to the creation of the World Test Championship. There were a few trial and errors before it was officially establshed.
This championship was first proposed in 1996 by Clive Lloyd, former cricketer and then-manager of the West Indies team. Former New Zealand captain, Martin Crowe, was one of the main brains behind this proposal.
In July 2010, ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, suggested a quadrennial tournament with the four best-ranked nations meeting in the semi-finals and a final; in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport. The first tournament was meant to replace the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales.
The idea of a Test championship was considered by the ICC Chief Executives' Committee at a meeting at their headquarters in Dubai in mid-September 2010. ICC spokesperson, Colin Gibson, said that much more would be revealed after the meeting and that if the championship was held in England, then the favoured final venue would be Lord's.
As expected, the ICC approved the plan and said that the first tournament would be held in England and Wales in 2013. The format of the tournament was also announced. It would comprise an inaugural league stage, played over a period of four years, with all ten current Test cricket nations (Australia; India; England; South Africa; Pakistan; Sri Lanka; New Zealand; West Indies; Zimbabwe and Bangladesh) participating. After the league stage, the top four teams will take part in the play-offs, with the final determining the Test cricket champions.
There was a debate as to whether the play-off would take place between the top eight teams or the top four teams but the latter was unanimously chosen by the board. It was also announced that the tournament would replace the ICC Champions Trophy. No decision had been made concerning how to decide the outcome of drawn matches in the knock-out stages.
However, in 2011, the ICC announced that the Test Championship wouldn't take place until 2017 and that the 2013 tournament would be cancelled because of financial problems within the board and its commitment to its sponsors and broadcasters. England and Wales, the original hosts of this cancelled tournament, were awarded the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy instead; the tournament that the Test Championship was intended to replace.
This drew widespread criticism; both Greg Chappell and Graeme Smith criticised the ICC, saying that postponing the Test Championship was wrong and unjustified. The Guardian reported that this postponement was a blow to Lord's, which had been expected to host the final.
At the ICC Chief Executives' meeting in April 2012, it was confirmed that the ICC Champions Trophy would be last held in 2013 with the inaugural Test Championship play-offs being scheduled for June 2017. The ICC said that there would be only one trophy for each format of the game, which meant that the Champions Trophy would no longer take place since the Cricket World Cup is the premier event for 50-over cricket.
The final would possibly have followed the historical timeless test format. Further improvements in the structure of the championship had also been discussed. However, in January 2014, the 2017 ICC World Test Championship was cancelled and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy was reinstated.
In October 2017, the ICC announced that a Test league had been agreed upon by its members, which would involve the top nine teams playing six series over two years with the top two teams qualifying for a World Test League Championship Final, which will be considered as an ICC event. The winning team wins The Mace - something that is awarded to the top ranked Test nation.
The first tournament (2019-21) began with the 2019 Ashes series. In March 2020, matches were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not resuming before July 2020, with several rounds of matches being postponed or ultimately cancelled. New Zealand became the first team to qualify for the final, when it was confirmed that the series between South Africa and Australia wouldn't proceed and followed by India. The inaugural World Test Championship Final was played between India and New Zealand from 18 to 23 June 2021 at Rose Bowl, Southampton, England. Despite the opening and fourth day of the final being washed out by rain, New Zealand managed to win in the final session of the reserve day and lifted the first World Test Championship trophy
The WTC 2021–23 cycle began in August 2021 with the Pataudi Trophy (5 match series between India and England). The ICC officially announced the full programme with a new points system. Australia qualified for the final by winning the 3rd Test Match of the 2022–23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India qualified after Sri Lanka failed to win the first match of their series in New Zealand, qualifying for the final for the second consecutive time. The final was played from 7 June to 11 June 2023 at The Oval, London, England, with Australia emerging as champions after defeating India by 209 runs. This was India's second consecutive defeat at the WTC final.
Now, in just under two weeks, South Africa will face Australia in the final. It will take at Lord's (England) between 11-15 June. There are a few key battles that lie ahead for both sides.
Kagiso Rabada v Usman Khawaja
A new-ball contest between South Africa’s leading wicket-taker and Australia’s highest run-scorer in this World Test Championship cycle could set the tone for the Final.
Kagiso Rabada going full throttle against Usman Khawaja offers an intriguing battle. Khawaja has set the tone going for Australia with 1 422 runs from his 19 innings this WTC cycle; while Rabada has claimed 47 wickets from 20 innings.
Holding the advantage in prior contests is South Africa’s premium speedster, who’s got the better of Khawaja five times in the 10 matches the duo have collided against each other.
Rabada will also take cue from the left-hander’s recent troubles against quality pace bowling featuring India’s Jasprit Bumrah during the five Tests on Australian soil. Khawaja was dismissed by Bumrah six times during the course of the series.
Khawaja, on the other hand, will look back at the success he enjoyed on his last visit to England, scoring 496 runs during the Ashes in 2023.
Marco Jansen v Steve Smith
Much of the fast bowling responsibility at the other end for South Africa will be courtesy of left-arm seamer, Marco Jansen. Having made an early impression in the previous WTC cycle, the 25-year-old came into his own in the second cycle, helping South Africa to the final, claiming 29 wickets in six Tests.
A prominent feature of the searing quick has been his use of the angular advantage he holds over right-handed batters. Of his 78 Test wickets, 57 have been right-handers, a staggering 73.07%.
It sets up for an exciting match-up against Australia stalwart, Steve Smith, who comes into the final on the back of a memorable tour of Sri Lanka. Leading Australia to a 2-0 clean sweep, Smith compiled two hundreds in the series and reached 10 000 Test runs, to close his side’s WTC campaign on a high note.
The veteran batter was also a key performer in Australia’s WTC 2023 Final triumph against India at The Oval, where he also posted a scintillating ton. An exciting young quick facing a seasoned batting icon, this has all the makings of an, 'unstoppable force meets an immovable object' clash.
Temba Bavuma v Pat Cummins
South Africa skipper, Temba Bavuma, led by example in the back half of the Proteas’ march to the WTC Final.
Missing out on five of the first six Tests South Africa played, Bavuma came back, amassing 609 runs from 11 innings, at an incredible average of 60.90. His run-scoring eased the pressure of multiple newcomers in South Africa’s red-ball batting lineup.
The experienced campaigner will seek to blunt a ruthless Australian bowling attack led by the irrepressible Pat Cummins.
Returning from a recent injury, the Australian skipper possesses a grave threat to Bavuma and the Proteas batting line-up. Cummins’ diverse arsenal offers him a range of options to utilise against the best of foes and his impressive haul of 73 wickets in this WTC cycle - second only to Jasprit Bumrah - show for it.
How a newly rekindled batter in Bavuma maneuvers against a dexterous Cummins will be a crucial plot point to the final.
Ryan Rickelton v Mitchell Starc
Another exciting new-ball match-up that is richly-anticipated comes in the form of South Africa’s opener and Australia’s left-arm gun.
The Proteas left-handed sensation has taken little time to establish himself as one of the exciting prospects across all formats. To go with his incredible range of shots, Rickelton hasn’t lacked the composure to bat for longer periods, with 451 runs from six Tests in this WTC cycle.
This included a career-best score of 259 against Pakistan, an innings that elevated his stock in the post-Dean Elgar era. In a fierce quick such as Starc, Rickelton may find his toughest challenge yet when it comes to Test cricket.
The left-arm veteran, reputed for delivering on the big stage, will aim to dictate. Meanwhile, during his short time as an international cricketer, Rickelton hasn’t held back from a full length delivery against the new-ball.
Tristan Stubbs and David Bedingham v Nathan Lyon
Bolstering South Africa’s batting in the middle order are Tristan Stubbs and David Bedingham, two batters who can accelerate the run-scoring with their attacking strokeplay.
While Stubbs has proven his attacking prowess across formats, Bedingham - who has only featured in the longest format for South Africa - has also not second-guessed before taking down the opposition attack once the ball gets old.
With this approach, the 31-year-old has finished as South Africa’s leading run-scorer in this WTC cycle (645). The duo are likely to have Australia’s premier operator, Nathan Lyon, in their mind in their quest to accumulate quick runs. Despite the conditions at Lord’s more suited to the seamers, finger-spinner Lyon will offer a handy outlet to Australia, also leveraging the slope of the ground.
Lyon also has an impressive haul from his last outing in the Ultimate Test, when he returned with the best figures in the second innings as Australia clinched the World Test Championship mace. His battle with the Proteas middle-order duo offers an enticing storyline that may hold the key to how many runs South Africa end up scoring.
To be honest, this tournament has increased my interest in this format. I had little interest in it. It's slow and not as quick or filled with as much excitement as the shorter formats. To me, this tournament has met it's intended purpose. It provides excitement as to qualification scenarios. Hopefully, South Africa can reign surpreme.