Australia vs India, ICC World Test Championship final, what you need to know

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All the Test cricket attention this winter is justifiably fixated on the upcoming Ashes, but before Australia does battle with England for the urn, there’s the small matter of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Test Championship final in London.

Australia will meet India at The Oval in the second-ever final, the biennial conclusion to find the world’s best Test team.

And, although situated conveniently as a warm up ahead of the five Ashes series, there is silverware up for grabs in this match, which could elevate its importance.

You can follow all the action from The Oval in the ABC Sport live blog from Wednesday, June 7 from 7:00pm AEST, or listen to live commentary from 7:15pm AEST on the ABC Listen App via the dedicated red cricket button.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the ICC World Test Championship?

New Zealand were the inaugural World Test Championship winners.()

The ICC introduced the World Test Championship in 2019 in an attempt to breathe some desperately needed life into the format.

Outside of England, Australia and India, Test cricket was — and plenty would say still is — slowly dying, losing relevance amidst changing societal preferences, exacerbated by the rise of T20 franchise cricket.

Essentially, the ICC proposed a league-style format over a two-year period where each Test played was worth points.

At the end of the two-year period, during which a team must play three home series and three away series, the top two sides play off in the final.

In the first cycle, those two teams were India and New Zealand.

New Zealand ended up winning the title by beating India by eight wickets at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in June 2021.

So how does it work?

Each team plays six Test series that go towards the WTC final standings over a two-year period.()

Nine of the 12 Test-playing nations competed in the first World Test Championship, and the same nine competed in the latest cycle: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.



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