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The full schedule and details of the World Test Championship 2021-23 are announced as it is set to start from the upcoming test series between India and England. Both countries will play 5 test matches while England will visit Australia in December this year, where Kangaroos will host them for a five-match test series in Ashes 2021-22. Other than these two, Australia’s tour to India is the only four-match series as all other series in the championship comprise either two or three matches.
World Test Championship 2021-23 spans between August 2021 and March 2023, and like the previous cycle, all nine teams will face each other in 6 series; three home and three away series.
How are matches distributed?
England will play the most matches in World Test Championship 2021-23 as English players are set to play 21 matches in World Test Championship 2. Kohli’s led India will play 19 fixtures while Australis is given 18 games.
South Africa and Pakistan will play 15 and 14 games, respectively, while Sri Lanka, West Indies and the winner of the first cycle of the World Test Championship, New Zealand, will play 13 games each. Bangladesh is given the least number of matches as Bengali Tigers are set to play 12 red ball games.
Revised Rules
Although the percentage points will still be used to determine the teams’ standings, ICC has come up with one change; each game in World Test Championship 2 will carry the same number of points. Teams will get 12 points for a win, 4 points can be given in case of a draw and 6 for a tie.
Day-night Test matches between the teams competing in World Test Championship 2021-23 can be a part of WTC2, but four-day test matches can’t be. Teams will lose one point for every short over during the Championship games.
Schedule of Series
| Home Series | Away Series | |
| New Zealand | SA, BAN, SL | IND, PAK, ENG |
| India | NZ, AUS, SL | ENG, SA, BAN |
| Australia | ENG, SA, WI | IND, PAK, SL |
| England | ENG, SA, NZ | AUS, PAK, WI |
| South Africa | IND, WI, BAN | AUS, ENG, NZ |
| Pakistan | AUS, ENG, NZ | SL, BAN, WI |
| Sri Lanka | WI, AUS, PAK | BAN, NZ, IND |
| West Indies | PAK, BAN, ENG | AUS, SA, SL |
| Bangladesh | PAK, IND, SL | SA, NZ, WI |
Why Pakistan has the best chance to play Finals?
Pakistan has the best chance to play the finals of the World Test Championship 2021-23 because it has a dream schedule. It is set to face three big countries at home in WTC2, while Green Shirts will play all of its away series against three minor teams. Yes, this is exactly what increase its chances of qualification in the finals of WTC2.
Pakistan is set to host New Zealand, Australia and England at home in WTC2 while it will face West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the away series of the Championship.
Pakistan struggles the most in foreign countries like Australia, New Zealand and England, and surprisingly, all of these 3 nations will play in the hands of Pakistan. Australia last time visited Pakistan before the 1999 World Cup in 1998. Similarly, Pakistanis dreamed of hosting great cricket playing countries like England and New Zealand. All three countries aren’t much familiar with the prospects of a series in Pakistan as pitches and conditions have changed significantly in the last 10 years globally. Moreover, all 3 teams struggle against spin, as was evident in the 2012 and 2014 UAE series Pakistan versus England and Australia, respectively. Most recently, South Africa were seen on their knees in Pakistan.
Pakistan has a great record against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, while the third team to be faced in the away series, West Indies, has struggled the most in the longest format of the game in the last decade since the retirement of Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Its level of test cricket had gone down, which was apparent in 2017 last time when Misbah led Pakistan won a test series against West Indies in West Indies for the first time in the history of cricket. If Pakistan performs well in white dress with its full potential, the schedule of WTC2 has given Pakistan the best chance to play the finals of World Test Championship 2021-23. Once reached in the finals, the team may become the champion also, who knows?
