WTC 2: What has changed from the last cycle
The points system will be completely different from that of the previous cycle. The previous system awarded 120 points per series regardless of the number of matches in the series. But the ICC has decided to change that, awarding 12 points for each Test victory, six points for a tie and four points for a draw.
The second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) is set to begin with the five-match Test series between India and England in August this year. The cycle will continue for almost two years.
The final of the tournament will be held in 2023 but the venue of the final is yet to be finalised, according to a report published on ESPNCricinfo.
Most of the series that are part of the WTC 2 will be two-match ones. Only the opening series of the tournament and the Ashes later this year will be five-match affairs. The only four-match series in the cycle is Australia's tour of India next year.
Seven of them will be three-match series with 13 being two-match ones.
The points system will be completely different from that of the previous cycle. The previous system awarded 120 points per series regardless of the number of matches in the series. But the ICC has decided to change that, awarding 12 points for each Test victory, six points for a tie and four points for a draw.
The standings will be determined by the percentage of points (PCT), a rule that was introduced by the ICC to minimise the effect of Covid-19.
But this system, too, will be slightly different from the previous cycle. In the new system, the percentage of points will be calculated with the number of matches played as the base.
For example, Bangladesh are scheduled to play 12 Tests in the WTC 2. According to the new points system, they will earn 144 points if they manage to win all the matches. The PCT will be calculated on the percentage of 144 if they cannot win at all.
"Teams will be ranked on the percentage of available points they won from the matches they've played," explained Geoff Allardice, the acting chief executive officer of the ICC.