International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to stage the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2021 despite the disruption caused by Covid-19. The nine test countries participating in the competition were scheduled to play six series home and away over a two-year period starting in 2019. The top two teams in the standings would then meet in the final in June 2021.
While England, India, and Pakistan have played four series each, the likes of Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, and Bangladesh have only played two. Australia and New Zealand have played three series each.
With coronavirus restrictions across various countries, all fixtures are unlikely to take place. Recently attempts were made between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka board to host a three-match series, but the boards could not reach an agreement due to the quarantine period of the Sri Lanka government.
However, Tom Harrison, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said he has been notified by the ICC that the WTC final is proceeding as scheduled. England is keen on staging the finals of the ICC WTC at Lord’s that also hosted the WC 2019, but the challenging part is the Covid-19 restrictions and the new norms that the teams have to follow.
One of the major concerns is also about the series that were planned and could not happen due to the pandemic. Some of the cricket boards are also trying to revive the game but facing financial issues and hence unable to proceed with the same. As per the latest standings, India and Australia are the table toppers.