World Test Championship final on June 11

The third instalment of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is set to come to a thrilling conclusion as defending champions Australia take on South Africa at Lord’s in the final, which begins on 11 June

Hyderabad: The third instalment of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is set to come to a thrilling conclusion as defending champions Australia take on South Africa at Lord’s in the final, which begins on 11 June.

The Proteas finished top of the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle having won 69.44 per cent of the points on offer to them during the six series they contested – winning eight of their 12 Test matches, drawing one and losing three.

---

Meanwhile, Andrew McDonald’s side finished second with 67.54per cent of points won and were the only nation to go unbeaten across the six series they were part of.

Australia won 13 of their 19 Tests, drawing two, losing four and having 10 points deducted for a slow over-rate infringement, to book their place in the final as they bid to retain a trophy they lifted for the first time in 2023.

The motivation behind the introduction of the ICC World Test Championship was to add context to bilateral Test cricket.

With every game during a series worth points in the final standings, all matches therefore have something riding on them, even if a Test match is a ‘dead rubber’ in terms of the series it is a part of.

By creating a dedicated Test cricket competition, the WTC honours the importance of the longest form of the game and ensures a pinnacle event for the format – just as the World Cups are for men and women in the ODI and T20I format.