ICC World Test Championship: TV Channels, schedule, teams - All you need know

The Cricketer previews the start of the inaugural competition which starts with the five-match Ashes series between England and Australia

What is the competition?

Involving the top nine nations from the ICC Test rankings, the World Test Championship will provide context to the five-day format across the period between 2019 and 2021. Points will be awarded for Tests played between all nations home and away, with the top two at the end of the schedule playing in the final. As with the 50 and 20-over World Cups, it will provide a finale to the next cycle of Test fixtures and hopes to become the pinnacle of the red-ball game.

Who's playing?

India, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh will compete in the first-ever edition of the World Test Championship, having been ranked in the top nine of the ICC standings as of 31 March 2018.

Though Zimbabwe, ranked 10th but currently banned by the ICC, Afghanistan and Ireland all have Test status the matches they play during this period will not contribute to the championship and thus they are not involved.

^{West Indies captain Jason Holder is currently No.1 in the ICC allrounder rankings}

Whats the schedule?

The WTC starts with the five-Test Ashes series between England and Australia. Over the next two years, nations will play six series, three home and three away, against six pre-agreed opponents.

Each side will earn points for each completed Test, with the two sides with the most contesting the final to crown the winner.

The schedule will include two, three, four and five-match series. Only England's clashes with Australia and India will be played over five games, while Australia v India and South Africa v England are the only duels contested over four.

Seven of the clashes with be three-match series, including Australia v New Zealand and England v Pakistan. The remaining 16 series will be merely over two-games.

After the schedule is complete, the final between the top two ranked teams will be played in England in June 2021.

NOW READ: THE ASHES: TV channels, schedule, team news - All you need to know

What's the format?

In total there will be 71 Tests across 27 bilateral series over two years, followed by a final at a to be confirmed location in England.

To help rank each of the competing nations, points will be awarded for each Test and will be dependent on how many matches form each series. In total, 120 points are up for grabs in every series contested in the WTC.

In series comprising of two matches, 60 points will be awarded for each win, 30 for a tie and 20 for a draw.

For three-Test series 40 points are on offer for the victorious team, 20 for a tie and 13 for a draw.

Four-match series see 30 points given for a win, 15 for a tie and 10 for a draw.

^{The Test Championship will be a chance for Shakib Al Hasan to further bolster his reputation}

Finally, the two five-match series will see winning teams awarded 24 points for a win, 12 for a tie and just eight for a draw. In the event of a defeat in any Test, a nation will fail to score.

Unlike any other ICC-sanctioned tournament, host nations will be responsible for preparing the pitch, the playing conditions, broadcasters, venues and ticketing. Match officials will be appointed by the ICC, however.

There is expected to be a second edition of the WTC held between June 2021 to April 2023, with the venue for the final and the teams competing yet to be confirmed.

How can I follow it?

Unlike other global ICC events, broadcast rights for the WTC Tests are organised and sold by the independent cricket boards.

In the UK, Sky Sports will continue to show England Tests home and away until at least 2024, with the next rights deal due to start next summer.

The BBC's Test Match Special will broadcast the upcoming Ashes series and the two-Test series in New Zealand. Talksport will pick up the rights for the tour of South Africa this winter, before providing live commentary of the trip to India in 2020-21.

More information regarding each nations' broadcast agreements can be found here via the ICC's official broadcasters list.

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