2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship

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2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
Dates1 August 2019 – 23 June 2021
Administrator(s)International Cricket Council
Cricket formatTest cricket
Tournament format(s)League and Final
Host(s)various
Champions New Zealand (1st title)
Runners-up India
Participants9
Matches61
Most runsAustralia Marnus Labuschagne (1675)
Most wicketsIndia Ravichandran Ashwin (71)
Official websiteicc-cricket.com/world-test-championship

The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket.[1] It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series,[2] and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, Southampton in June 2021.

It came nearly a decade after the International Cricket Council (ICC) first approved the idea for a World Test Championship in 2010, and following two cancelled attempts to hold the inaugural competition in 2013 and 2017.

It featured nine of the twelve Test playing nations,[3][4] each of whom was scheduled to play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each series consisted of between two and five matches, so although all teams were to play six series (three at home and three away), they were not scheduled to play the same number of Tests. Each team were able to score a maximum of 120 points from each series and the two teams with the most points at the end of the league stage would contest the final.[5] In the case of a draw or a tie in the final, the two teams playing the final would be declared joint champions.[5] However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the Championship, with several rounds of matches being postponed or cancelled. In November 2020, the ICC announced that the finalists would be decided by percentage of points earned.[6][7]

Some of the Test series in this Championship were part of a longer ongoing series, such as the 2019 Ashes series.[5] Also, some of these nine teams would play additional Test matches during this period which were not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23, mainly to give games to the three Test playing sides not taking part in this competition.[5] On 29 July 2019, the ICC officially launched the World Test Championship.[8]

On 2 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia postponed their away series against South Africa, resulting in a guaranteed berth in the final for New Zealand.[9][10] On 6 March 2021, India also confirmed their berth for the final, after beating England by 3–1 in a home Test series.[11] The final saw New Zealand win by eight wickets, securing their second global cricket title after their 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy win.[12]

Format[edit]

The tournament was played over two years. Each team were scheduled to play six other opponents, three at home and three away. Each series consisted of between two and five Test matches. Therefore, all participants did not play the same number of Tests, but played the same number of series. At the end of the league stage the top two teams played in the final.[13] Each match is scheduled for a duration of five days.

Point scoring[edit]

The ICC decided that the same number of points would be available from each series, regardless of series length, so that countries that played fewer Tests were not disadvantaged. It also decided that points would not be awarded for series results, but for match results only. These would be split equally between all the matches in the series, regardless of whether or not a match was a dead rubber,[14] so that every match counted.[15] In a five-match series, therefore, 20% of the points would be available each match, while in a two-match series, 50% of the points would be available each match.

Therefore, depending on whether the series is 2, 3, 4 or 5 matches long, the number of points awarded for a single match win would be a half, a third, a quarter, or a fifth of the maximum possible from the series. The ICC also decided that a tie should be worth half of a win and that a draw should be worth a third of a win.[16] This all meant that after each match, a side could be awarded a half, a third, a quarter, a fifth, a sixth, an eighth, a ninth, a tenth, a twelfth or a fifteenth of the total points available from the series, depending on the result and how many matches the series happened to consist of. Ultimately, this meant a figure for the total points available from the series needs to be picked very carefully, as not many numbers give all integers when split into all these different fractions (360 does). Being a highly composite number, when 120 was split into all these fractions, an integer was obtained in all cases except one – the points awarded for a draw in a 3-match series should be 1313 (a third of a third of 120), but the 13 had been dropped.[citation needed]

Each series would therefore carry a maximum of 120 points with points distributed as follows:

Distributions of points in ICC World Test Championship[17]
Matches in series Points for a win Points for a tie Points for a draw Points for a defeat
2 60 30 20 0
3 40 20 13 0
4 30 15 10 0
5 24 12 8 0

A team that was behind the required over rate at the end of a match would have two competition points deducted for each over it was behind.[18] In January 2020, South Africa became the first team to be docked World Test Championship points, after a slow over-rate in the fourth Test against England.[19]

Participants[edit]

The nine full members of the ICC who participated:

Since each team played only six of the eight possible opponents, the ICC announced that India and Pakistan would not play against each other in the first and second editions of the tournament.

The three full members of the ICC who did not participate:

These were the three lowest ranked full members of the ICC. They had been included in the ICC Future Tours Programme; they played a number of Test matches during this period against Championship participants and each other[a] but these did not have bearing on the Championship.[b]

Schedule[edit]

The schedule for the World Test Championship was announced by the ICC on 20 June 2018, as part of the 2018–2023 Future Tours Programme.[20]

Rather than being a full round-robin tournament in which everyone played everyone else equally, each team played only six of the other eight.

Home \ Away Australia Bangladesh England India New Zealand Pakistan South Africa Sri Lanka Cricket West Indies
Australia  1–2 [4] 3–0 [3] 2–0 [2]
Bangladesh  Cancelled [2] Cancelled [2] 0–2 [2]
England  2–2 [5] 1–0 [3] 2–1 [3]
India  2–0 [2] 3–1 [4] 3–0 [3]
New Zealand  2–0 [2] 2–0 [2] 2–0 [2]
Pakistan  1–0 [1]* 2–0 [2] 1–0 [2]
South Africa  Cancelled [3] 1–3 [4] 2–0 [2]
Sri Lanka  1–0 [2] 0–2 [2] 1–1 [2]
West Indies  0–2 [2] 0–2 [2] 0–0 [2]
Updated to match(es) played on 21 June 2021. Source: icc-cricket The numbers in square brackets are the numbers of matches in the series.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Therefore, the total number of matches played by each team (home and away) in this tournament, and the two countries that each side did not face in this tournament, were as follows. (Note: This was not the total Test matches played by each team during this period, as some countries did play further matches during this period which were not part of this Championship, as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2018–23. Some of these may be against the opponents they did not play in this Championship.)

Team Scheduled matches Not scheduled to play against
Total Home Away
 Australia 19 9 10  Sri Lanka  West Indies
 Bangladesh 12 6 6  England  South Africa
 England 21 11 10  Bangladesh  New Zealand
 India 17 9 8  Pakistan  Sri Lanka
 New Zealand 13 6 7  England  South Africa
 Pakistan 13 6 7  India  West Indies
 South Africa 16 9 7  Bangladesh  New Zealand
 Sri Lanka 12 6 6  Australia  India
 West Indies 13 6 7  Australia  Pakistan

All the series were mutually agreed between the two nations involved;[20] this had led to allegations that the schedule has been agreed based on what would provide the biggest television audiences, and therefore television receipts,[21] rather than selecting an even spread of teams.

Since each team played a different set of opponents, they can be considered as having an easier or harder schedules.

COVID-19 pandemic[edit]

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on international cricket fixtures, including matches in the Championship. In March 2020, the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh was postponed due to the pandemic.[22] Later the same month, the two-match series between Sri Lanka and England was also postponed.[23] The following month saw Australia's tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies tour to England being postponed.[24][25] In June 2020, the two-match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand and the three-match series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were both postponed.[26][27] South Africa's tour of the West Indies was postponed, after the fixtures clashed with the West Indies rescheduled tour to England.[28][29]

On 29 July 2020, the ICC confirmed that their attention had moved to the fixtures in the World Test Championship, with their priority on rescheduling the six Test series that had been postponed.[30] The ICC ultimately accepted several series would not take place as part of the Championship and changed the points system to account for the variation in the number of series played per team.[6][7]

Prize money[edit]

The International Cricket Council declared a total prize money pool of US$3.8 million for the tournament. The prize money was allocated according to the performance of the team as follows:[31]

Position Prize money (US$)
Winner $1,600,000
Runner-up $800,000
Third $450,000
Fourth $350,000
Fifth $200,000
Sixth $100,000
Seventh $100,000
Eighth $100,000
Ninth $100,000
Total $3,800,000

The winning team also got the ICC Test Championship Mace, previously presented to the top team in ICC Men's Test Team Rankings at the April cutoff-date of a year between 2003 and 2019.

League table[edit]

Pos. Team Series Matches Con. Pts. ± Pct. RpW Ratio
P W L D P W L D T
1  India 6 5 1 0 17 12 4 1 0 720 520 0 72.2 1.577
2  New Zealand 5 3 1 1 11 7 4 0 0 600 420 0 70.0 1.281
3  Australia 4 2 1 1 14 8 4 2 0 480 332 4[c] 69.2 1.392
4  England 6 4 1 1 21 11 7 3 0 720 442 0 61.4 1.120
5  South Africa 5 2 3 0 13 5 8 0 0 600 264 6[d] 44.0 0.787
6  Pakistan 5.5 3 3 0 12 4 5 3 0 660 286 0 43.3 0.822
7  Sri Lanka 6 1 3 2 12 2 6 4 0 720 200 0 27.8 0.729
8  West Indies 6 1 4 1 13 3 8 2 0 720 194 6[e] 26.9 0.661
9  Bangladesh 3.5 0 4 0 7 0 6 1 0 420 20 0 4.8 0.601
Last updated: 22 June 2021. Source: International Cricket Council,[34] ESPNcricinfo[35]
  •   Teams qualified for final
  • The top two teams advanced to the final.
  • Teams were ranked by PCT. If two teams were tied on PCT, then they were ranked by Runs Per Wicket Ratio. If teams were still tied, ranking was determined by matches won in series between the teams, finally by ranking in the Men's Test Team Rankings as at 30 April 2021.[36]
  • Under the original rules, teams were ranked first by points. If two teams were tied on points, the team that won more series was ranked higher. If teams were still equal, the runs per wicket ratio was used.[37] This ranking system was amended in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing some series to be cancelled, meaning not all teams would compete for the same number of points.[7]

League stage[edit]

2019[edit]

The Ashes (England v Australia)[edit]

1–5 August 2019
Scorecard
Australia 
284 (80.4 overs)
&
487/7d (112 overs)
v
 England
374 (135.5 overs)
&
146 (52.3 overs)
Australia won by 251 runs
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Points: Australia 24, England 0
14–18 August 2019
Scorecard
England 
258 (77.1 overs)
&
258/5d (71 overs)
v
 Australia
250 (94.3 overs)
&
154/6 (47.3 overs)
Match drawn
Lord's, London
Points: England 8, Australia 8
22–26 August 2019
Scorecard
Australia 
179 (52.1 overs)
&
246 (75.2 overs)
v
 England
67 (27.5 overs)
&
362/9 (125.4 overs)
England won by 1 wicket
Headingley, Leeds
Points: England 24, Australia 0
4–8 September 2019
Scorecard
Australia 
497/8d (126 overs)
&
186/6d (42.5 overs)
v
 England
301 (107 overs)
&
197 (91.3 overs)
Australia won by 185 runs
Old Trafford, Manchester
Points: Australia 24, England 0
12–16 September 2019
Scorecard
England 
294 (87.1 overs)
&
329 (95.3 overs)
v
 Australia
225 (68.5 overs)
&
263 (76.6 overs)
England won by 135 runs
The Kia Oval, London
Points: England 24, Australia 0

Sri Lanka v New Zealand[edit]

14–18 August 2019
Scorecard
New Zealand 
249 (83.2 overs)
&
285 (106 overs)
v
 Sri Lanka
267 (93.2 overs)
&
268/4 (86.1 overs)
22–26 August 2019
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
244 (90.2 overs)
&
122 (70.2 overs)
v
 New Zealand
431/6d (115 overs)

West Indies v India[edit]

22–26 August 2019
Scorecard
India 
297 (96.4 overs)
&
343/7d (112.3 overs)
v
 West Indies
222 (74.2 overs)
&
100 (26.5 overs)
30 August–3 September 2019
Scorecard
India 
416 (140.1 overs)
&
168/4d (54.4 overs)
v
 West Indies
117 (47.1 overs)
&
210 (59.5 overs)
India won by 257 runs
Sabina Park, Jamaica
Points: India 60, West Indies 0

2019–20[edit]

Freedom Trophy (India v South Africa)[edit]

2–6 October 2019
Scorecard
India 
502/7d (136 overs)
&
323/4d (67 overs)
v
 South Africa
431 (131.2 overs)
&
191 (63.5 overs)
10–14 October 2019
Scorecard
India 
601/5d (156.3 overs)
v
 South Africa
275 (105.4 overs)
&
189 (67.2 overs) (f/o)
19–23 October 2019
Scorecard
India 
497/9d (116.3 overs)
v
 South Africa
162 (56.2 overs)
&
133 (48 overs) (f/o)

India v Bangladesh[edit]

14–18 November 2019
Scorecard
Bangladesh 
150 (58.3 overs)
&
213 (69.2 overs)
v
 India
493/6d (114 overs)
22–26 November 2019 (D/N)
Scorecard
Bangladesh 
106 (30.3 overs)
&
195 (41.1 overs)
v
 India
347/9d (89.4 overs)

Australia v Pakistan[edit]

21–25 November 2019
Scorecard
Pakistan 
240 (86.2 overs)
&
335 (84.2 overs)
v
 Australia
580 (157.4 overs)
Australia won by an innings and 5 runs
The Gabba, Brisbane
Points: Australia 60, Pakistan 0
29 November – 3 December 2019 (D/N)
Scorecard
Australia 
589/3d (127 overs)
v
 Pakistan
302 (94.4 overs)
&
239 (82 overs) (f/o)
Australia won by an innings and 48 runs
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Points: Australia 60, Pakistan 0

Pakistan v Sri Lanka[edit]

11–15 December 2019
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
308/6d (97 overs)
v
 Pakistan
252/2 (70 overs)
Match drawn
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Points: Pakistan 20, Sri Lanka 20
19–23 December 2019
Scorecard
Pakistan 
191 (59.3 overs)
&
555/3d (131 overs)
v
 Sri Lanka
271 (85.5 overs)
&
212 (62.5 overs)
Pakistan won by 263 runs
National Stadium, Karachi
Points: Pakistan 60, Sri Lanka 0

Trans-Tasman Trophy (Australia v New Zealand)[edit]

12–16 December 2019 (D/N)
Scorecard
Australia 
416 (146.2 overs)
&
9/217d (69.1 overs)
v
 New Zealand
166 (55.2 overs)
&
171 (65.3 overs)
Australia won by 296 runs
Perth Stadium, Perth
Points: Australia 40, New Zealand 0
26–30 December 2019
Scorecard
Australia 
467 (155.1 overs)
&
5/168d (54.2 overs)
v
 New Zealand
148 (54.5 overs)
&
240 (71 overs)
3–7 January 2020
Scorecard
Australia 
454 (150.1 overs)
&
2/217d (52 overs)
v
 New Zealand
256 (95.4 overs)
&
136 (47.5 overs)
Australia won by 279 runs
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Points: Australia 40, New Zealand 0

Basil D'Oliveira Trophy (South Africa v England)[edit]

26–30 December 2019
Scorecard
South Africa 
284 (84.3 overs)
&
272 (61.4 overs)
v
 England
181 (53.2 overs)
&
268 (93 overs)
South Africa won by 107 runs
Centurion Park, Centurion
Points: South Africa 30, England 0
3–7 January 2020
Scorecard
England 
269 (91.5 overs)
&
391/8d (111 overs)
v
 South Africa
223 (89 overs)
&
248 (137.4 overs)
England won by 189 runs
PPC Newlands, Cape Town
Points: England 30, South Africa 0
16–20 January 2020
Scorecard
England 
499/9d (152 overs)
v
 South Africa
209 (86.4 overs)
&
237 (88.5 overs)(f/o)
24–28 January 2020
Scorecard
England 
400 (98.2 overs)
&
248 (61.3 overs)
v
 South Africa
183 (68.3 overs)
&
274 (77.1 overs)
England won by 191 runs
Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Points: England 30, South Africa −6[19]

Pakistan v Bangladesh[edit]

The second match was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] Due to a busy schedule, the match would be postponed until the 2021–22 season and outside the Championship season.[38]

7–11 February 2020
Scorecard
Bangladesh 
233 (82.5 overs)
&
168 (62.2 overs)
v
 Pakistan
445 (122.5 overs)
5–9 April 2020
Scorecard
v
Cancelled
National Stadium, Karachi

New Zealand v India[edit]

21–25 February 2020
Scorecard
India 
165 (68.1 overs)
&
191 (81 overs)
v
 New Zealand
348 (100.2 overs)
&
9/0 (1.4 overs)
29 February–4 March 2020
Scorecard
India 
242 (63 overs)
&
124 (46 overs)
v
 New Zealand
235 (73.1 overs)
&
132/3 (36 overs)

2020[edit]

Bangladesh v Australia[edit]

This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wisden Trophy (England v West Indies)[edit]

This series was originally scheduled for June 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39]

8–12 July 2020
Scorecard
England 
204 (67.3 overs)
&
313 (111.2 overs)
v
 West Indies
318 (102 overs)
&
200/6 (64.2 overs)
West Indies won by 4 wickets
Rose Bowl, Southampton
Points: West Indies 40, England 0
16–20 July 2020
Scorecard
England 
469/9d (162 overs)
&
129/3d (19 overs)
v
 West Indies
287 (99 overs)
&
198 (70.1 overs)
England won by 113 runs
Old Trafford, Manchester
Points: England 40, West Indies 0
24–28 July 2020
Scorecard
England 
369 (111.5 overs)
&
226/2d (58 overs)
v
 West Indies
197 (65 overs)
&
129 (37.1 overs)
England won by 269 runs
Old Trafford, Manchester
Points: England 40, West Indies 0

England v Pakistan[edit]

5–9 August 2020
Scorecard
Pakistan 
326 (109.3 overs)
&
169 (46.4 overs)
v
 England
219 (70.3 overs)
&
277/7 (82.1 overs)
England won by 3 wickets
Old Trafford, Manchester
Points: England 40, Pakistan 0
13–17 August 2020
Scorecard
Pakistan 
236 (91.2 overs)
v
 England
110/4d (43.1 overs)
Match drawn
Rose Bowl, Southampton
Points: England 13, Pakistan 13
21–25 August 2020
[1]
England 
583/8d (154.4 overs)
v
 Pakistan
273 (93 overs)
&
187/4 (83.1 overs) (f/o)
Match drawn
Rose Bowl, Southampton
Points: Pakistan 13, England 13

Bangladesh v New Zealand[edit]

This series did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 2020
v
Cancelled
August 2020
v
Cancelled

2020–21[edit]

New Zealand v West Indies[edit]

3–7 December 2020
Scorecard
New Zealand 
519/7d (145 overs)
v
 West Indies
138 (64 overs)
&
247 (58.5 overs) (f/o)
11–15 December 2020
Scorecard
New Zealand 
460 (114 overs)
v
 West Indies
131 (56.4 overs)
&
317 (79.1 overs) (f/o)

Border–Gavaskar Trophy (Australia v India)[edit]

17–21 December 2020 (D/N)
Scorecard
India 
244 (93.1 overs)
&
36 (21.2 overs)
v
 Australia
191 (72.1 overs)
&
2/93 (21 overs)
26–30 December 2020
Scorecard
Australia 
195 (72.3 overs)
&
200 (103.1 overs)
v
 India
326 (115.1 overs)
&
2/70 (15.5 overs)
7–11 January 2021
Scorecard
Australia 
338 (105.4 overs)
&
6/312d (87 overs)
v
 India
244 (100.4 overs)
&
334/5 (131 overs)
Match drawn
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Points: Australia 10, India 10
15–19 January 2021
Scorecard
Australia 
369 (115.2 overs)
&
294 (75.5 overs)
v
 India
336 (111.4 overs)
&
7/329 (97 overs)
India won by 3 wickets
The Gabba, Brisbane
Points: India 30, Australia 0

New Zealand v Pakistan[edit]

26–30 December 2020
Scorecard
New Zealand 
431 (155 overs)
&
180/5d (45.3 overs)
v
 Pakistan
239 (102.2 overs)
&
271 (123.3 overs)
New Zealand won by 101 runs
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Points: New Zealand 60, Pakistan 0
3–7 January 2021
Scorecard
Pakistan 
297 (83.5 overs)
&
186 (81.4 overs)
v
 New Zealand
659/6d (158.5 overs)

South Africa v Sri Lanka[edit]

26–30 December 2020
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
396 (96 overs)
&
180 (46.1 overs)
v
 South Africa
621 (142.1 overs)
3–7 January 2021
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
157 (40.3 overs)
&
211 (56.5 overs)
v
 South Africa
302 (75.4 overs)
&
67/0 (13.2 overs)

Sri Lanka v England[edit]

This series was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40]

14–18 January 2021
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
135 (46.1 overs)
&
359 (136.5 overs)
v
 England
421 (117.1 overs)
&
76/3 (24.2 overs)
22–26 January 2021
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
381 (139.3 overs)
&
126 (35.5 overs)
v
 England
344 (116.1 overs)
&
164/4 (43.3 overs)

Pakistan v South Africa[edit]

26–30 January 2021
Scorecard
South Africa 
220 (69.2 overs)
&
245 (100.3 overs)
v
 Pakistan
378 (119.2 overs)
&
90/3 (22.5 overs)
Pakistan won by 7 wickets
National Stadium, Karachi
Points: Pakistan 60, South Africa 0
4–8 February 2021
Scorecard
Pakistan 
272 (114.3 overs)
&
298 (102 overs)
v
 South Africa
201 (65.4 overs)
&
274 (91.4 overs)

Bangladesh v West Indies[edit]

This was originally a three-match series scheduled for January 2021.

3–7 February 2021
Scorecard
Bangladesh 
430 (150.2 overs)
&
223/8d (67.5 overs)
v
 West Indies
259 (96.1 overs)
&
395/7 (127.3 overs)
11–15 February 2021
Scorecard
West Indies 
409 (142.2 overs)
&
117 (52.5 overs)
v
 Bangladesh
296 (96.5 overs)
&
213 (61.3 overs)

Anthony de Mello Trophy (India v England)[edit]

This was originally a five-match series.[41]

5–9 February 2021
Scorecard
England 
578 (190.1 overs)
&
178 (46.3 overs)
v
 India
337 (95.5 overs)
&
192 (58.1 overs)
13–17 February 2021
Scorecard
India 
329 (95.5 overs)
&
286 (85.5 overs)
v
 England
134 (59.5 overs)
&
164 (54.2 overs)
24–28 February 2021 (D/N)
Scorecard
England 
112 (48.4 overs)
&
81 (30.4 overs)
v
 India
145 (53.2 overs)
&
49/0 (7.4 overs)
4–8 March 2021
Scorecard
England 
205 (75.5 overs)
&
135 (54.5 overs)
v
 India
365 (114.4 overs)

South Africa v Australia[edit]

This series did not take place as originally scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not be a part of the Championship season.[42]

March 2021
v
Cancelled
March 2021
v
Cancelled
March 2021
v
Cancelled

Sobers–Tissera Trophy (West Indies v Sri Lanka)[edit]

21–25 March 2021
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
169 (69.4 overs)
&
476 (149.5 overs)
v
 West Indies
271 (103 overs)
&
236/4 (100 overs)
Match drawn
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Points: West Indies 20, Sri Lanka 20
29 March – 2 April 2021
Scorecard
West Indies 
354 (111.1 overs)
&
280/4d (72.4 overs)
v
 Sri Lanka
258 (107 overs)
&
193/2 (79 overs)
Match drawn
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Points: West Indies 20, Sri Lanka 20

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh[edit]

This series originally comprised three Test matches and was scheduled for July–August 2020, then postponed to October 2020, but was rescheduled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

21–25 April 2021
Scorecard
Bangladesh 
541/7d (173 overs)
&
100/2 (33 overs)
v
 Sri Lanka
648/8d (179 overs)
Match drawn
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Points: Sri Lanka 20, Bangladesh 20
29 April–3 May 2021
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
493/7d (159.2 overs)
&
194/9d (42.2 overs)
v
 Bangladesh
251 (83 overs)
&
227 (71 overs)

2021[edit]

Sir Vivian Richards Trophy (West Indies v South Africa)[edit]

This series was scheduled to be played in July 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

10–14 June 2021
Scorecard
West Indies 
97 (40.5 Overs)
&
162 (64 Overs)
v
 South Africa
322 (96.5 Overs)
18–22 June 2021
Scorecard
South Africa 
298 (112.4 overs)
&
174 (53 overs)
v
 West Indies
149 (54 overs)
&
165 (58.3 overs)

Final[edit]

18–23 June 2021[f]
Scorecard
India 
217 (92.1 overs)
&
170 (73 overs)
v
 New Zealand
249 (99.2 overs)
&
140/2 (45.5 overs)

Final standings[edit]

Pos. Team Prize money (US$)
1  New Zealand $1,600,000
2  India $800,000
3  Australia $450,000
4  England $350,000
5  South Africa $200,000
6  Pakistan $100,000
7  Sri Lanka
8  West Indies
9  Bangladesh

Statistics[edit]

Individual statistics[edit]

The top 5 players in each category are listed.

Most runs[edit]

Runs Batsman Mat Inns NO Ave HS 100s 50s
1,675 Australia Marnus Labuschagne 13 23 0 72.82 215 5 9
1,660 England Joe Root 20 37 2 47.43 228 3 8
1,341 Australia Steve Smith 13 22 1 63.85 211 4 7
1,334 England Ben Stokes 17 32 3 46.00 176 6
1,159 India Ajinkya Rahane 18 30 3 42.92 115 3 6
Last updated: 23 June 2021[43]

Most wickets[edit]

Wkts Bowler Mat Inns Runs Overs BBI BBM Avg 5WI 10WM
71 India Ravichandran Ashwin 14 26 1,444 549.4 7/145 9/207 20.33 4 0
70 Australia Pat Cummins 14 28 1,472 555.3 5/28 7/69 21.02 1 0
69 England Stuart Broad 17 32 1,386 499.3 6/31 10/67 20.08 2 1
56 New Zealand Tim Southee 11 22 1,166 431.3 5/32 9/110 20.82 3 0
Australia Nathan Lyon 14 27 1,757 630.5 6/49 10/118 31.37 4 1
Last updated: 23 June 2021[44]

Most dismissals for a wicket-keeper[edit]

Dismissals Player Mat Inns Catches Stumping BBI Dis/Inn
65 Australia Tim Paine 14 28 63 2 5 2.321
50 South Africa Quinton de Kock 13 22 48 2 6 2.272
England Jos Buttler 18 25 49 1 4 2.000
48 New Zealand BJ Watling 11 22 47 1 5 2.181
41 India Rishabh Pant 12 24 35 6 4 1.708
Last updated: 11 June 2023[45]

Most catches for a player[edit]

Dismissals Player Mat Inns Catches Dis/Inn
34 England Joe Root 20 38 3 0.894
27 Australia Steve Smith 13 26 4 1.038
25 England Ben Stokes 17 33 5 0.757
23 India Ajinkya Rahane 18 36 3 0.638
21 New Zealand Ross Taylor 12 24 3 0.875
Last updated: 11 June 2023[46]

Highest individual score[edit]

Runs Batsman Balls 4s 6s Opposition Venue Match date
335* Australia David Warner 418 39 1 Pakistan Pakistan Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 29 November 2019
267 England Zak Crawley 393 34 The Rose Bowl, Southampton 21 August 2020
254* India Virat Kohli 336 33 2 South Africa South Africa Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune 10 October 2019
251 New Zealand Kane Williamson 412 34 Cricket West Indies West Indies Seddon Park, Hamilton 3 December 2020
244 Sri Lanka Dimuth Karunaratne 437 26 0 Bangladesh Bangladesh Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele 21 April 2021
Last updated: 23 June 2021[47]

Best bowling figures in an innings[edit]

Figure Bowler Overs Mdns Econ Opposition Venue Match date
7/137 Sri Lanka Lasith Embuldeniya 42.0 6 3.26 England England Galle International Stadium, Galle 22 January 2021
7/145 India Ravichandran Ashwin 46.2 11 3.12 South Africa South Africa ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam 2 October 2019
6/27 India Jasprit Bumrah 12.1 3 2.21 Cricket West Indies West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston 30 August 2019
6/31 England Stuart Broad 14.0 4 2.21 Old Trafford, Manchester 24 July 2020
6/38 India Axar Patel 21.4 6 1.75 England England Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 24 February 2021
Last updated: 23 June 2021[48]

Best bowling figures in a match[edit]

Figure Bowler Overs Mdns Opposition Venue Match date
11/70 India Axar Patel 36.4 9 England England Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 25 February 2021
11/117 New Zealand Kyle Jamieson 41 14 Pakistan Pakistan Hagley Oval, Christchurch 3 January 2021
11/178 Sri Lanka Praveen Jayawickrama 64 17 Bangladesh Bangladesh Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy 29 April 2021
10/67 England Stuart Broad 22.1 5 Cricket West Indies West Indies Old Trafford, Manchester 24 July 2020
10/114 Pakistan Hasan Ali 31.4 4 South Africa South Africa Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi 4 February 2021
Last updated: 23 June 2021[49]

Best batting averages[edit]

Average Batsman Matches Innings Runs HS 100s 50s
72.82 Australia Marnus Labuschagne 13 23 1,675 215 5 9
66.57 Pakistan Babar Azam 10 17 932 143 4 5
63.85 Australia Steve Smith 13 22 1,341 211 6
61.20 New Zealand Kane Williamson 10 16 918 251 3 2
60.77 India Rohit Sharma 12 19 1,094 212 4
Qualification: Minimum 10 innings
Last updated: 23 June 2021
[50]

Best bowling averages[edit]

Average Bowler Matches Wkts Runs Balls BBI BBM
10.59 India Axar Patel 3 27 286 766 6/38 11/70
12.53 New Zealand Kyle Jamieson 7 43 539 1,478 6/48 11/117
17.79 India Ishant Sharma 12 39 694 1,496 5/22 9/78
18.55 India Umesh Yadav 7 27 538 962 5/53 8/82
19.51 England James Anderson 12 39 761 1,991 6/40 7/63
Qualification: Minimum 500 deliveries bowled
Last updated: 23 June 2021
[51]

Team statistics[edit]

Highest team totals[edit]

Score Team Overs RR Inns Opposition Venue Date
659/6d  New Zealand 158.5 4.14 2  Pakistan Hagley Oval, Christchurch 3 January 2021
648/8d  Sri Lanka 179 3.62 2  Bangladesh Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele 21 April 2021
621  South Africa 142.1 4.36 2  Sri Lanka SuperSport Park, Centurion 26 December 2020
601/5d  India 156.3 3.84 1  South Africa Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune 10 October 2019
589/3d  Australia 127.0 4.63 1  Pakistan Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 29 November 2019
(d=declared)
Last updated: 23 June 2021[52]

Lowest team totals[edit]

Score Team Overs RR Inns Opposition Venue Date
36  India 21.2 1.68 3  Australia Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 19 December 2020
67  England 27.5 2.40 2 Headingley Cricket Ground, Headingley 22 August 2019
81 30.4 2.64 3  India Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 25 February 2021
97  West Indies 40.5 2.37 1  South Africa Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet 10 June 2021
100 26.5 3.72 4  India Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound 22 August 2019
Last updated: 23 June 2021[53]

Highest successful run-chases[edit]

Score Team Target Overs RR Opposition Venue Date
395/7  West Indies 395 127.3 3.10  Bangladesh Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram 7 February 2021
362/9  England 359 125.4 2.88  Australia Headingley Cricket Ground, Headingley 25 August 2019
329/7  India 328 97.0 3.39 The Gabba, Brisbane 19 January 2021
277/7  England 277 82.1 3.37  Pakistan Old Trafford, Manchester 8 August 2020
268/4  Sri Lanka 268 86.1 3.11  New Zealand Galle International Stadium, Galle 18 August 2019
Last updated: 23 June 2021[54]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, like the nine Championship participants, were not able to add further fixtures outside the FTP, including Test matches.
  2. ^ Netherlands were also included on the FTP as a one-day and T20-playing nation only.
  3. ^ Australia were deducted 4 points for a slow over rate in the second Test against India on 29 December 2020.[32]
  4. ^ South Africa were deducted 6 points for a slow over rate in the fourth Test against England on 27 January 2020.[19]
  5. ^ West Indies were deducted 6 points for a slow over rate in the second Test against South Africa on 22 June 2021.[33]
  6. ^ The final was initially scheduled for five days from 18–22 June, but weather delays meant that the scheduled reserve day was used.

References[edit]

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  4. ^ Ramsey, Andrew (20 June 2018). "Australia's new schedule features Afghanistan Test". Archived from the original on 20 June 2018.
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  33. ^ a b "West Indies fined for slow over-rate in second Test against South Africa". International Cricket Council. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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  48. ^ "Best Bowling Figures in an Innings World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
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  50. ^ "Highest Average World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Best Bowling Average World Test Championship". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
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  53. ^ "Lowest Team Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  54. ^ "Highest Successful Run chases". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2021.

External links[edit]