The International Cricket Council (ICC) had made an announcement regarding the future of Test cricket. ICC officially launched the ICC World Test Championship Schedule 2019-21 on Monday, 29th July 2019. This tournament would be like the World Cups in the ODI and T20I formats, but there will be some differences. The main difference is that this tournament will be over a timespan of nearly 2 years.
All the Test matches that will be played from 1st August 2019 onwards until the 30th April 2024, would fall under the World Test Championship. The Final match of the Championship will be played between the top 2 teams in June 2024 and the winners will receive the title of ICC World Test Champions.
Teams
The top 9 teams on the ICC Test team Rankings will be playing in this Championship. They are :
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- India
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
The teams had been selected on the basis of the Rankings on 31st of March 2018.
ICC World Test Championship Schedule
This Championship will be starting with The Ashes 2019. Aussies will be travelling over to England to play 5 Test matches, starting from 1st of August to mid-September. During mid-August to the end of August in 2019, New Zealand and Sri Lanka would be playing 2 Test matches against each other. These two matches would be played across 2 stadiums in Sri Lanka.
The Indian cricket team will be going over to West Indies and will be playing a number of matches in all the formats, out of which 2 will be in the longest format. They would be played in the last week of August and the first week of September. The next Test match will be played on 2nd October.
South Africa will be touring India for the Gandhi-Mandela series and the Freedom Trophy under the ICC World Test Championship Schedule. The 3 Test matches will be played throughout the month of October. 2 Test matches will be played between India and Bangladesh, in India, from mid-November to end-November. Next, Pakistan will be playing to 2 Test matches in Australia. They will be played from 21st November to 3rd December 2019.
New Zealand will be hosting England for 2 Test matches. These two matches will be overlapping with the matches being played between Pakistan and Australia. Afghanistan and West Indies will be playing their only Test match in India, along with T20I and ODI matches.
Australia will be hosting neighbour New Zealand for 3 Test matches. The Test series will be commencing on 12th of December 2019 and will be concluding on 7th of January 2024.
England’s tour of South Africa will also be taking place from December 2019 and continuing into January 2024. These two teams will be playing 4 Test matches against each other which will be the last fixture of the ICC World Test Championship 2019-20 Schedule. The last Test series that has been declared till date is India’s tour of New Zealand. It will be a 2 match Test series beginning on the 21st of February and ending on the 4th of March 2024.
The ICC World Test Championship 2019-20 Schedule has been arranged in the chronological order of the matches.
| The Ashes 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | STADIUM | TIME |
| 1st Test | 01-August, Thursday to 05-August, Monday | Edgbaston, Birmingham | 10 am GMT / 11 am Local / 3:30 pm IST |
| 2nd Test | 14-August, Wednesday to 18-August, Sunday | Lord’s, London | 11 am GMT / 11 am Local / 3:30 pm IST |
| 3rd Test | 22-August, Thurday to 26-August, Monday | Headingley, Leeds | 12 am GMT / 11 am Local / 3:30 pm IST |
| 4th Test | 04-September, Wednesday to 08-September, Sunday | Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | 13 am GMT / 11 am Local / 3:30 pm IST |
| 5th Test | 12-September, Thursday to 16-September, Monday | Kennington val, London | 14 am GMT / 11 am Local / 3:30 pm IST |
| New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | STADIUM | TIME |
| 1st Test | 14-August, Wednesday to 18-August, Sunday | Galle International Stadium, Galle | 10 am IST & Local / 4:30 am GMT / 4:30 pm NZST |
| 2nd Test | 22-August, Thursday to 26-August, Monday | P Sara Oval, Colombo | 10 am IST & Local / 4:30 am GMT / 4:30 pm NZST |
| India’s tour of West Indies 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | STADIUM | TIME |
| 1st Test | 22-August, Thursday to 27-August, Tuesday | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua | 7 pm IST / 1:30 pm GMT |
| 2nd Test | 30-August, Friday to 04-September, Wednesday | Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica | 8 pm IST / 2:30 pm GMT |
| South Africa Tour of India 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | STADIUM | TIME |
| 1st Test | 02-October, Wednesday to 06-October, Sunday | Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 9:30 am IST / 4 am GMT |
| 2nd Test | 10-October, Thursday to 14-October, Monday | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi | 9:30 am IST / 4 am GMT |
| 3rd Test | 19-October, Saturday to 23-October, Wednesday | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune | 9:30 am IST / 4 am GMT |
| Bangladesh tour of India 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 14-November, Thursday to 18-November, Monday | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore | 9:30 am IST / 4 am GMT |
| 2nd Test | 22-November, Friday to 26-November, Tuesday | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 9:30 am IST / 4 am GMT |
| Pakistan tour of Australia 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 21-November, Thursday to 25-November, Monday | The Gabba, Brisbane | 12 am GMT / 5 am PKT / 5:30 am IST |
| 2nd Test | 29-November, Friday to 03-December, Tuesday | Adeladie Oval, Adelaide | 3:30 am GMT / 8:30 am PKT / 9 am IST |
| England tour of New Zealand 2019 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 21-November, Thursday to 25-November, Monday | Bay Oval, Mount Manganui, Tauranga | 10 pm GMT (20-November) / 3:30 am IST |
| 2nd Test | 29-November, Friday to 03-December, Tuesday | Seddon Park, Hamilton | 10 pm GMT (28-November) / 3:30 am IST |
| Afghanistan vs West Indies in India | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| Only Test | 27-November, Wednesday to 01-December, Sunday | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium | 4:30 am GMT / 10 am Local & IST |
| New Zealand tour of Australia 2019-20 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 12-December, Thursday to 16-December, Monday | Perth Stadium, Perth | 5 am GMT / 10:30 am IST |
| 2nd Test | 26-December, Thursday to 30-December, Monday | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | 12 am GMT / 5:30 am IST |
| 3rd Test | 03-January, Friday to 07-January, Tuesday | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 12 am GMT / 5:30 am IST |
| England tour of South Africa 2019-20 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 26-December, Thursday to 30-December, Monday | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 8 am GMT / 1:30 pm IST / 10 am Local |
| 2nd Test | 03-January, Friday to 07-January, Tuesday | Newlands, Cape Town | 8:30 am GMT / 2 pm IST / 10:30 am Local |
| 3rd Test | 16-January, Thursday to 20-January, Monday | St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth | 8 am GMT / 1:30 pm IST / 10 am Local |
| 4th Test | 24-January, Friday to 28-January, Tuesday | The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | 8 am GMT / 1:30 pm IST / 10 am Local |
| India’s tour of New Zealand 2024 | |||
| MATCH | DATE | VENUE | TIME |
| 1st Test | 21-February, Friday to 25-February, Tuesday | Basin Reserve, Wellington | 4 am IST / 10:30 pm GMT (20-February) |
| 2nd Test | 29-February, Saturday to 04-March, Wednesday | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 4 am IST / 10:30 pm GMT (28-February) |
World Test Championship Venues
- Lord’s
Also known as Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Location: London, England.
Time Zone: GMT
- Edgbaston
Location: Birmingham, England.
Time Zone: GMT
- Headingley
Also known as Headingley Grounds.
Location: Leeds, England.
Time Zone: GMT
- Emirates Old Trafford
Location: Manchester, England.
Time Zone: GMT
- Kennington Oval
Also known as The Oval / The AMP Oval / The Foster’s Oval / The Brit Oval.
Location: London, England.
Time Zone: GMT
- Galle International Stadium
Also known as The Esplanade
Location: Galle, Sri Lanka.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- P Sara Oval
Also known as Colombo Oval / P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Location: North Sound, Antigua, West Indies.
Time Zone: GMT – 4
- Sabina Park
Location: Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies.
Time Zone: GMT – 5
- Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium
Location: Visakhapatnam, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- JSCA International Stadium Complex
Also known as the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium.
Location: Ranchi, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium
Also known as the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.
Location: Pune, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- Holkar Cricket Stadium
Location: Indore, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- Eden Gardens
Location : Kolkata, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- The Gabba
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Time Zone : GMT + 10
- Adelaide Oval
Location : Adelaide, Australia.
Time Zone : GMT + 9:30
- Bay Oval
Location: Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand.
Time zone : GMT + 12
- Seddon Park
Also known as Trust Bank Park.
Location: Hamilton, New Zealand.
Time zone : GMT + 12
- Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium
Location : Dehradun, India.
Time Zone : GMT + 5:30
- Perth Stadium
Location: Perth, Australia.
Time Zone : GMT + 8
- Melbourne Cricket Ground
Also known as The MCG / The “G”.
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Time Zone : GMT + 10
- Sydney Cricket Ground
Also known as the Sydney Cricket Ground No. 1 / Garrison Ground (1848-1877) / Association Ground.
Location: Sydney, Australia.
Time Zone : GMT + 10
- SuperSport Park
Also known as SuperSport Centurion / Centurion Park.
Location: Centurion, South Africa.
Time Zone : GMT + 2
- Newlands
Also known as Sahara Park / Western Province Cricket Club / Newlands ‘A’.
Location: Cape Town, South Africa.
Time Zone : GMT + 2
- St George’s Park
Also known as Sahara Oval / Crusaders Ground.
Location: Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Time Zone : GMT + 2
- The Wanderers Stadium
Also known as Kent Park.
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa.
Time zone GMT + 2
- Basin Reserve
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
Time zone : GMT + 12
- Hagley Oval
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand.
Time zone : GMT + 12