How the World Test Championship works: points and the final

The World Test Championship (WTC) is a two-year league for the top Test nations, ending in a one-off final for the ICC Test Championship Mace.

Nine teams take part in each cycle. Every team plays six series, three at home and three away, against six of the other eight, and series can be anywhere from two to five Tests long. Because teams play different numbers of matches, the table is ordered by points percentage (PCT): the share of available points a side has actually won. A win is worth 12 points, a tie 6 and a draw 4, and slow over rates cost points. The top two after two years meet at a neutral venue for the final.

The championship changed how captains think about draws. A draw is worth a third of a win, so batting out for one is sometimes the right call, but chasing a win that lifts your PCT is often worth the risk of defeat. It also gives every tour a stake beyond the series itself.

In Masterstroke: every Test on the schedule feeds a two-year championship table. Finish in the top two and you meet at a neutral venue for the mace.