WTC 2023-25 Cycle Commences With Ashes; India To Start With West Indies Challenge

WTC 2023-25 Cycle Commences With Ashes; India To Start With West Indies Challenge (Image Source: Google)

WTC Final: Australia begin their defence of the 2023 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title in a high-profile five-match Ashes series against England from June 16 at Edgbaston, followed by matches at Lord's, Leeds, Manchester and The Oval.

Two-time WTC runners-up India will commence their cycle in a two-Test tour of the West Indies, where they play in Dominica and Trinidad from July 12-16 and July 20-24. Their next assignment will be against South Africa in a two-game away series happening between December 2023 and January 2024.

India will kickstart 2024 by hosting England for a five-match Test series in January-February 2024, followed by playing hosts to Bangladesh for two matches and New Zealand for a three-match Test series in September, October, and November.

They will then travel to Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November 2024 to January 2025, which also marks their last WTC assignment in 2023-25 cycle. In the nine-team WTC cycle, each team will play three home and three away series over a two-year period culminating in the final of a one-off Test.

"The third edition of the ICC World Test Championship begins on Friday with another highly anticipated series between England and Australia. This championship has invigorated Test match cricket, bringing context for players and fans, and a high level of competitiveness as teams battle it out to be crowned World Test Champions at the end of the two-year cycle.

The big turnout out at The Oval over the five days and the incredible viewership levels across the globe for the final is testimony to the continued popularity of Test cricket. I would like to thank the Member Boards for their continued support of this exciting concept and wish the players all the very best as they commence their journey towards becoming World Test Champions in 2025," said Wasim Khan, ICC's General Manager of Cricket.

The points percentage system used in the previous edition will determine the leaderboard with teams getting 12 points for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw. Australia play nine matches in this cycle away from home, which include two-Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

"It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding journey through this World Test Championship and we very much look forward to the next cycle. It was a goal of ours to reach the final and the fact we were able to win is a great outcome for the group. It's a great start to our UK tour but there's plenty of hard work still to be done over the next five Test matches," said Australia captain Pat Cummins.

At home, Australia will play against India (five), Pakistan (three) and the West Indies (two), for a total of 10 Tests. England to play 10 Tests at home and 11 away. They host the West Indies (3) and Sri Lanka (2) apart from Australia, while playing away in India (five), Pakistan (3) and New Zealand (3).

"We are looking forward to the new cycle of the World Test Championship, and hope we get off to a good start. The Ashes combined with World Test Championship points makes it an intriguing series against Australia. I am sure fans worldwide will be following the proceedings with eagerness. We are excited for what the English summer holds," said England Test skipper Ben Stokes.