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England vs India Tests to kick off second WTC cycle

June 30, 2021 09:30 IST

IMAGE: England captain Joe Root with India skipper Virat Kohli. Photograph: BCCI

The five-match Test series between India and England, starting on August 4, will start the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).

 

India and England will be locking horns in the first Test from August 4, while Australia will hosts England in five Tests later this year in the Ashes.

These tours will be the only two series having five Test matches in the second WTC cycle from 2021-23, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo.

Australia will tour India later this year for a four-Test series, the report added.

The ICC has not yet decided on the schedule and the venue for the final of the second World Test Championship.

The teams will play three home and as many away series, and the tours which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the opening WTC cycle will not be carried forward.

India are scheduled to play 19 Tests during the second WTC cycle of two years, while Australia and South Africa will lock horns in 15 matches. England will compete in 21 Tests the most by any team in the second WTC cycle.

ICC has decided to give each Test the same number of points irrespective of the number of matches in a series.

The winning team will give 12 points, while a tie will get them six points and a draw will earn both teams four point each. Also, one point will be deducted for slow over rates.

"Instead of each series being worth the same number of points, 120, irrespective of whether the series is played over two Tests or five Tests, the next cycle will see each match being worth the same number of points - a maximum of 12 per match," ICC's acting chief executive officer Geoff Allardice told ESPNCricinfo.

"Teams will be ranked on the percentage of available points they won from the matches they have played.

"The aim was to try and simplify the points system and to allow teams to be meaningfully compared on the table at any point, though they may have played differing numbers of matches and series," he said.

Source: ANI