ICC announced the fixtures for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle on Wednesday and released a simplified points system, after receiving criticism over their points system in the first cycle of the World Test Championship.
WTC Points System
As per the new format announced by ICC on Wednesday, 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 teams will be ranked on the basis of the percentage of points won. All nine teams will play six series each, three home and three away.
| Matches in series | Points |
| 2 | 24 |
| 3 | 36 |
| 4 | 48 |
| 5 | 60 |
“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.” He added
India’s fixtures in World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle
| Home | Away |
| Sri Lanka | England |
| New Zealand | Bangladesh |
| Australia | South Africa |
India will play a total of 6 series in the 2021-23 cycle. The Virat Kohli-led side will tour England, Bangladesh, South Africa and will play at home against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia. India will begin their World Test Championship Cycle 2 from the upcoming 5-Test series against England starting from August 4.
