ICC World Test Championship finalists to be decided by unique percentage system?

The ICC World Test Championship, which commenced with Ashes 2019, is now set to continue with a bunch of exciting new Test series in December. Earlier, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic brought a disruption to the sport, thus forcing cricket boards to postpone a number of bilateral Test match-ups that continue to remain unscheduled to this date. The upcoming India vs Australia 2020 series Down Under, coupled with New Zealand’s back-to-back home assignments against West Indies and Pakistan will serve in good stead for ICC as the apex body aims at safeguarding Test cricket’s first-ever league competition.  

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ICC likely to decide ICC World Test Championship finalists through percentage of points

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been mulling whether to decide the finalists for the ongoing ICC World Test Championship through a unique percentage system. Through the same, the finalists will be decided through the number of points teams have earned from the matches they have actually competed in. The move is being strongly considered by the ICC after the pandemic resulted in the cancellation or rescheduling of a number of Test series.

The report also indicated that ICC had considered splitting the points between teams for series which will end up getting cancelled before the final in 2021. However, the same was later reportedly ruled out by the ICC committee.  

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Context of India vs Australia 2020 series in ICC World Test Championship

The India vs Australia 2020 series is scheduled to commence from December 17 onwards at the Adelaide Oval. The series, featuring four high-profile Test matches, will run till January 19 next year. Interestingly, both India and Australia are also currently the top two sides in the ICC World Test Championship points table. The two teams are followed by England (third) and New Zealand (fourth) in the table.

Virat Kohli and co arrived in Sydney on November 12 earlier this month. The Indian players began their training sessions a few days later as evidenced by BCCI’s social media feed.

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A look into India vs Australia schedule

Here is a look at the entire India vs Australia schedule for the upcoming series along with the squads of both Indian and Australian cricket teams.

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Image source: BCCI Twitter