The World Test Championship is the ICC’s new competition for the pinnacle of red-ball cricket. The tournament, which has been running for 2023-25, is a league and final format with teams competing to win the title. It adds context to bilateral test series by awarding additional points for each match that is won. It also provides an incentive for teams to play each other and help increase the profile of test cricket.

With one more match to go, this cycle of the ICC World Test Championship is about to conclude with a final in England in June 2025. The venue is a reflection of the passion that English fans have for this treasured format of the game, as well as the willingness of supporters from around the world to travel there to see it.

As for the competition itself, the 2023-25 cycle has seen New Zealand and Australia qualify for the final, thanks to their respective record breaking victories over India and South Africa. Australia’s win in Sydney and South Africa’s victory at Lord’s have set up a fascinating final that pits the two teams who finished top of the rankings against each other.

Both sides are favoured to win, with both having strong squads to choose from. Nevertheless, South Africa’s victory will be particularly poignant, given that they were criticized for choosing to send a weak squad on a tour of New Zealand in early 2024 and keeping their best players to compete in domestic T20 tournaments. That resulted in them not playing any home tests in the 2023-25 WTC cycle.