ICC announces points system, fixtures of World Test Championship 2021

The apex board has also revealed the fixtures of the second cycle of the tournament

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the fixtures of the second cycle of the World Test Championship that begins with the 5-match Test series between India and England from August 04. The apex body has also announced the points system based on which the league standings of the teams will be decided.

The ICC was criticized in the last cycle after it decided to change the points system in the middle of the tournament as some of the matches couldnt get completed due to disruption caused by Covid-19. With the virus threat still not over, ICC decided to revamp its points system to better suit the current situation across the world

ICC WTC Points System:

As per the format issued by ICC, teams will be awarded a total of 12 points for each match they win in this cycle, six for a tie, four for a draw and zero for a loss. The points allocated per series will vary depending upon the number of matches in the series.

Matches in Series and Points:

• 2 Matches - 24
• 3 Matches - 36
• 4 Matches - 48
• 5 Matches - 60

The teams, however, will be ranked on the basis of the percentage of points won and not the overall tally.

“We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified. The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardized points system for each match. It maintained the principle of ensuring that all matches in a WTC series count towards a team’s standing while accommodating series varying in length between two Tests and five Tests," ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said.

“During the pandemic, we had to change to ranking teams on the points table using the percentage of available points won by each team, since all series could not be completed. This helped us determine the finalists and we were able to complete the championship within the scheduled time frame. This method also allowed us to compare the relative performance of teams at any time, regardless of how many matches they had played.

ICC World Test Championship Fixtures 2021-23:

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