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World Test Championship

Question 1 of 25

Which team won the first World Test Championship Final in 2021?

World Test Championship: answers and explanations (spoilers!)

Which team won the first World Test Championship Final in 2021?
Answer: New Zealand
New Zealand beat India by eight wickets to become the first world Test champions.
Where was the first World Test Championship Final played, in June 2021?
Answer: Southampton
The 2021 Final was played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. It moved from Lord's because the Rose Bowl's on-site hotel suited a COVID-19 bio-secure bubble.
Who was Player of the Match in the 2021 World Test Championship Final?
Answer: Kyle Jamieson
The tall seamer took 5/31 in India's first innings and seven wickets in the match.
The 2021 Final needed its reserve sixth day to finish.
Answer: True
Rain cost so much time that the reserve day was used. New Zealand chased 139 on day six.
India lost both of the first two World Test Championship Finals.
Answer: True
India lost to New Zealand in 2021 and to Australia in 2023.
Which team won the 2023 World Test Championship Final?
Answer: Australia
Australia beat India by 209 runs at The Oval for their first WTC title.
Who scored 163 and was Player of the Match in the 2023 Final?
Answer: Travis Head
Head's 163 came from just 174 balls after Australia were 76/3 on day one.
Which batter scored 121 and shared a 285-run stand with Travis Head in the 2023 Final?
Answer: Steve Smith
Smith and Head's stand took Australia from 76/3 to a total India never caught.
Which team won the 2025 World Test Championship Final?
Answer: South Africa
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets for their first WTC title.
Where was the 2025 World Test Championship Final played?
Answer: Lord's
Lord's hosted the Final from 11 to 14 June 2025.
Who scored 136 to win the 2025 Final for South Africa?
Answer: Aiden Markram
Markram's 136 led the chase of 282 and earned him Player of the Match.
Who captained South Africa to the 2025 World Test Championship title?
Answer: Temba Bavuma
Bavuma also made 66 in the winning chase at Lord's.
Which bowler took 5/51 in Australia's first innings of the 2025 Final?
Answer: Kagiso Rabada
Rabada's five-for bowled Australia out for 212.
Before the 2025 WTC Final, South Africa's last ICC men's title came in 1998.
Answer: True
It was South Africa's first ICC title since the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy.
How many teams take part in the World Test Championship?
Answer: 9
The nine top-ranked Test nations play in a closed league with no promotion or relegation.
Which of these Test-playing nations is NOT part of the World Test Championship?
Answer: Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe play Test cricket but are outside the WTC.
How many points does a team earn for winning a WTC Test?
Answer: 12
A win is worth 12 points, a tie 6 and a draw 4.
How many points does a team earn for a drawn WTC Test?
Answer: 4
A draw is worth 4 of the 12 points available, which is a third of a win.
How are teams ranked on the WTC table?
Answer: By the percentage of available points they win
Teams play different numbers of Tests, so the table uses the percentage of points won.
Which series began the very first World Test Championship, in August 2019?
Answer: The Ashes in England
The first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on 1 August 2019 was the first WTC match.
Which teams played the first Test of the 2025–27 cycle, in Galle in June 2025?
Answer: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Sri Lanka hosted Bangladesh in Galle from 17 June 2025 to start the cycle.
Where will the 2027 World Test Championship Final be played?
Answer: The Oval, London
The Oval hosts the Final from 9 to 13 June 2027, its second WTC Final after 2023.
Who became the first player to score 6,000 runs in World Test Championship history, in August 2025?
Answer: Joe Root
Root reached the milestone against India at The Oval, in his 69th WTC Test.
Who took the most wickets in the first WTC cycle (2019–21)?
Answer: Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin took 71 wickets in the 2019–21 cycle.
What is the trophy for India v England Test series called since 2025?
Answer: The Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy
It replaced the Pataudi Trophy in 2025. The winning captain now receives the Pataudi Medal.