World Test Championship is a league for Test Cricket, which the cricketing world has been lacking till now. While there are ‘World Cups’ for other formats organised every four years, Test cricket has remained limited to bilateral series, based on which Test rankings are assigned. However, it was observed that in bilateral series, the interest remains limited to the countries which are playing the matches and does not generate excitement or anticipation at a global level. Hence, it was decided to introduce a world championship for the Test format too.
Finally, the inaugural 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship has begun on August 1, 2019 with the Ashes series in England. The International Cricket Council has 12 countries with Full Member status. Of these, nine teams will participate in this championship: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Each team will play Test series with six other teams over a period of two years, three on home turf and three away from home. The finalists will be decided based on a unique point system, and the final will be held at Lord’s in England in 2021.
Below is an exclusive table giving schedule and venues of 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship
| Match | Test Series | Year | Test matches | From | To | Stadium | City | Country |
| ENG v AUS | 5-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 1 Aug 2019 | 5 Aug 2019 | Edgbaston | Birmingham | England |
| 2d Test | 14 Aug 2019 | 18 Aug 2019 | Lord’s Cricket Ground | London | England | |||
| 3rd Test | 22 Aug 2019 | 26 Aug 2019 | Headingley | Leeds | England | |||
| 4th Test | 4 Sep 2019 | 8 Sep 2019 | Old Trafford | Manchester | England | |||
| 5th Test | 12 Sep 2019 | 16 Sep 2019 | The Oval | London | England | |||
| SL v NZ | 2-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 14 Aug 2019 | 18 Aug 2019 | Galle International Stadium | Galle | Sri Lanka |
| 2d Test | 22 Aug 2019 | 26 Aug 2019 | P Sara Oval | Colombo | Sri Lanka | |||
| WI v IND | 2-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 22 Aug 2019 | 26 Aug 2019 | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium | North Sound | West Indies |
| 2d Test | 30 Aug 2019 | 3 Sep 2019 | Sabina Park | Kingston | West Indies | |||
| IND v SA | 3-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 2 Oct 2019 | 6 Oct 2019 | ACA-VDCA Stadium | Visakhapatnam | India |
| 2d Test | 10 Oct 2019 | 14 Oct 2019 | JSCA International Stadium Complex | Ranchi | India | |||
| 3rd Test | 19 Oct 2019 | 23 Oct 2019 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium | Pune | India | |||
| PAK v SL | 2-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | October 2019 | TBA | Pakistan (UAE) | ||
| 2d Test | Pakistan (UAE) | |||||||
| AUS v PAK | 2-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 21 Nov 2019 | 25 Nov 2019 | Brisbane Cricket Ground | Brisbane | Australia |
| 2d Test | 29 Nov 2019 | 3 Dec 2019 | Adelaide Oval | Adelaide | Australia | |||
| IND v BAN | 2-Test Series | 2019 | 1st Test | 14 Nov 2019 | 18 Nov 2019 | Holkar Cricket Stadium | Indore | India |
| 2d Test | 22 Nov 2019 | 26 Nov 2019 | Eden Gardens | Kolkata | India | |||
| AUS v NZ | 3-Test Series | 2019-20 | 1st Test | 12 Dec 2019 | 16 Dec 2019 | Perth Stadium | Perth | Australia |
| 2d Test | 26 Dec 2019 | 30 Dec 2019 | MCG | Melbourne | Australia | |||
| 3rd Test | 3 Jan 2020 | 7 Jan 2020 | SCG | Sydney | Australia | |||
| SA v ENG | 4-Test Series | 2019-20 | 1st Test | 26 Dec 2019 | 30 Dec 2019 | Supersport Park | Centurion | South Africa |
| 2d Test | 3 Jan 2020 | 7 Jan 2020 | Newlands | Cape Town | South Africa | |||
| 3rd Test | 16 Jan 2020 | 20 Jan 2020 | St George’s Park | Port Elizabeth | South Africa | |||
| 4th Test | 24 Jan 2020 | 28 Jan 2020 | New Wanderers Stadium | Johannesburg | South Africa | |||
| PAK v BAN | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | Jan-Feb 2020 | TBA | Pakistan (UAE) | ||
| 2d Test | Pakistan (UAE) | |||||||
| NZ v IND | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | 21 Feb 2020 | 25 Feb 2020 | Basin Reserve | Wellington | New Zealand |
| 2d Test | 29 Feb 2020 | 4 Mar 2020 | Hagley Oval | Christchurch | New Zealand | |||
| BAN v AUS | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | February 2020 | TBA | Bangladesh | ||
| 2d Test | Bangladesh | |||||||
| SL v ENG | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | March-April 2020 | TBA | Sri Lanka | ||
| 2d Test | Sri Lanka | |||||||
| ENG v WI | 3-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | June-July 2020 | TBA | England | ||
| 2d Test | England | |||||||
| 3rd Test | England | |||||||
| WI v SA | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | July-Aug 2020 | TBA | West Indies | ||
| 2d Test | West Indies | |||||||
| SL v BAN | 3-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | July-Aug 2020 | TBA | Sri Lanka | ||
| 2d Test | Sri Lanka | |||||||
| 3rd Test | Sri Lanka | |||||||
| ENG v PAK | 3-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | 30 Jul 2020 | 3 Aug 2020 | Lord’s Cricket Ground | London | England |
| 2d Test | 7 Aug 2020 | 11 Aug 2020 | Old Trafford | Manchester | England | |||
| 3rd Test | 20 Aug 2020 | 24 Aug 2020 | Trent Bridge | Nottingham | England | |||
| BAN v NZ | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | Aug-Sep 2020 | TBA | Bangladesh | ||
| 2d Test | Bangladesh | |||||||
| NZ v WI | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | Nov-Dec 2020 | TBA | New Zealand | ||
| 2d Test | New Zealand | |||||||
| AUS v IND | 4-Test Series | 2020-21 | 1st Test | Nov-Dec 2020 | TBA | Australia | ||
| 2d Test | Australia | |||||||
| 3rd Test | Australia | |||||||
| 4th Test | Australia | |||||||
| NZ v PAK | 2-Test Series | 2020 | 1st Test | December 2020 | TBA | New Zealand | ||
| 2d Test | New Zealand | |||||||
| SA v SL | 2-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | January 2021 | TBA | South Africa | ||
| 2d Test | South Africa | |||||||
| PAK v SA | 2-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | Jan-Feb 2021 | TBA | Pakistan (UAE) | ||
| 2d Test | Pakistan (UAE) | |||||||
| BAN v WI | 3-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | Jan-Feb 2021 | TBA | Bangladesh | ||
| 2d Test | Bangladesh | |||||||
| 3rd Test | Bangladesh | |||||||
| IND v ENG | 5-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | Jan-Feb 2021 | TBA | India | ||
| 2d Test | India | |||||||
| 3rd Test | India | |||||||
| 4th Test | India | |||||||
| 5th Test | India | |||||||
| WI v SL | 2-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | Feb-March 2021 | TBA | West Indies | ||
| 2d Test | West Indies | |||||||
| SA v AUS | 3-Test Series | 2021 | 1st Test | Feb-March 2021 | TBA | South Africa | ||
| 2d Test | South Africa | |||||||
| 3rd Test | South Africa | |||||||
| TBD | Final | 2021 | June 2021 | Lord’s Cricket Ground | London | England | ||
Related Link:
Inaugural Cricket 2019-21 World Test Championship Kicks Off on August 1
