ICC plans to host World Test Championship final as per schedule

The International Cricket Council is planning to conduct the final of the ICC Test Championship in June 2021 as per the schedule. As reported by Reuters, the ICC has not stalled its plan despite the COVID-19 pandemic and is hopeful to pull off the event.

With the pandemic canceling a number of Test series, the qualifying process for the WTC has become complicated.

“The planning is still in progress,” a spokesman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) said of the WTC final, without divulging the details of how the point system would be reworked.

“There is likely to be more clarity in the coming days once all stakeholders are aligned. There will be an announcement on this soon.”

Last week, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison had talked about logistical challenges of hosting the event.

“We are talking about a COVID environment, and when you put COVID into a negotiation like this, it changes everything,” he said.

“If you are taking part in that fixture and you have potentially two neutral teams playing a world final in the UK, I’m pretty sure you’d want to know you are safe and protected when it comes to the health environment, you are heading into.”

WTC was launched last year to add context to bilateral test series, and ensuring a standalone showpiece for Tests like the World Cup in other formats.

Currently, Virat Kohli-led India top the WTC points table, after having played four series. Australia are the second team in the points table.