ICC World Test Championship final to be played from June 7 at The Oval

The second ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final will be played from June 7-11 at The Oval in London, with a reserve day kept on June 12, the ICC announced on Wednesday.

In the previous edition of the WTC, New Zealand became the champions in the inaugural edition of the tournament, beating India by eight wickets in 2021 final held in Southampton.

In the current 2021-23 WTC cycle, Australia leads the table with a point percentage of 75.56%, followed by India in the second position with 58.93%. With the two teams set to play a four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting from Thursday, it will be interesting to see who comes out as the eventual finalists of the ongoing WTC.

The other teams who are in the race for a spot in the finals are Sri Lanka who is in third place with 53.33%, followed by South Africa with 48.72% who take the fourth position. While South Africa have a two-match home series against the West Indies remaining in the ongoing cycle, Sri Lanka will be touring New Zealand to play two away Tests.

The Oval in London will host the #WTC23 final, while the venue for the #WTC25 final has also been decided 🏏

More 👉 https://t.co/KAwg8uVJdN pic.twitter.com/w9qS7U8tEm

— ICC (@ICC) September 21, 2022

Australia have won 10 Tests so far with 4 draws and just 1 loss out of the 15 matches they have played in the current WTC cycle. They are likely to play in the WTC finals as they are in a very strong position at the points table.

Even if they draw just one match out of their four Tests against India, and don’t get any penalty points due to poor over rates, they will seal their place in the final. Anything less than that, and Australia would be dependent on other results.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said, “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.

“To play at a neutral venue like The Oval adds another element for both sides who make the Final. It’s exciting and has been a goal of ours for a while now. 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.”

For India to qualify for the WTC final, they have to win at least 3 matches against Australia. Anything less and they too will be dependent on other teams. Out of the 14 Tests played so far in the current WTC cycle, India have won 8 matches with 4 losses and 2 draws, along with 5 penalty points due to slow over rate.

“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.

“There have been so many dramatic moments in Test cricket lately, and there are undoubtedly more to come. I am excited by the prospect of booking our place at the Final and hopefully creating history later in the year.”

For Sri Lanka and South Africa, even if they win both Tests of their respective Test series, they would still be dependent on the result of other teams to go their way.

“Sri Lanka still has a good chance of making it to the World Test Championship Final. We have done well to be among the top contenders, and if we can complete a good Test series on the upcoming New Zealand tour, our chances of making it to the Final will look like a greater possibility,” said Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne.

“We are aware of the opportunity, as well as the challenges we will face in capturing this wonderful opportunity to play in the WTC Final. This competition is really good for red-ball cricket, as it ensures that every game is played at the highest level of intensity, and the teams, whether they qualify to play the Final or not, will compete to end the ongoing cycle well.”

South Africa skipper Dean Elgar said, “While we may have an outside chance of qualification for the World Test Championship Final, there’s no greater encouragement than the thought of playing for silverware in such a historic format at such a historic ground.

“We are hungry for success in this format and are focused on the challenge ahead with the West Indies Test series around the corner. With so much to play for, we would love to add some more drama to an already existing competition and qualify for the Final in June.”

Last year in September, the ICC announced The Oval and Lord’s as the venues for the next two WTC finals respectively.

Remaining ICC World Test Championship Fixtures

India v Australia series:

India v Australia (1st Test) – Nagpur, India, 9-13 February

India v Australia (2nd Test) – Delhi, India, 17-21 February

India v Australia (3rd Test) – Dharamsala, India, 1-5 March

India v Australia (4th Test) – Ahmedabad, India, 9-13 March

South Africa v West Indies series:

South Africa v West Indies (1st Test) – Centurion, South Africa, 28 February-4 March

South Africa v West Indies (2nd Test) – Johannesburg, South Africa, 8-12 March

New Zealand v Sri Lanka series:

New Zealand v Sri Lanka (1st Test) – Christchurch, New Zealand, 9-13 March