ICC Confirms WTC 2023 Final Dates and Venue; India, Australia in Race to Play Summit Clash

Rohit Sharma-led India and Pat Cummins' Australia are two strong contenders to play the WTC final which will be hosted by The Oval ground in England in June this year

The WTC Mace. Source: Twitter

The date and venue of the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final were confirmed by International Cricket Council on Wednesday, February 8. The Ultimate Test will take place at the historic The Oval cricket ground in England from June 7 to 11. Currently, two strong contenders to play the final are India and Australia. India are second in the World Test Championship 2021-23 points table with 99 points and win percentage of 58.93 while Aussies sit atop with 136 points and win percentage of 75.56. Both these sides will play the four-match Border-Gavaskar series with an eye of the WTC final. 

A total of 6 teams still stand a chance of qualification. Among the frontrunners to challenge the top two are Sri Lanka, who sit third in the standings and South Africa in fourth, who take on reigning WTC champions New Zealand and the West Indies respectively over two two-Test series during February and March. 

Both the captains, Cummins and Rohit, are excited at prospect of playing the WTC final. Cummins said that playing the final at The Oval has been a big motivation for the whole team. The Aussies missed out on a chance to play the final last time due to an over-rate issue. Cummins added that they are confidence of qualifying for the final. At the same time, Rohit said that it would be special to lead India in the WTC final. India played the last final as well but they were defeated by current champions New Zealand. This time the Indians would want to go one step further and pick the mace. 

Mark your calendars _

The dates for the ICC World Test Championship Final later this year have been revealed _#WTC23https://t.co/gOJcoWVc58

— ICC (@ICC) February 8, 2023

Remaining Matches in WTC 2023:

India v Australia (1st Test) – Nagpur, India, 9-13 February

India v Australia (2nd Test) – Delhi, India, 17-21 February

South Africa v West Indies (1st Test) – Centurion, South Africa, 28 February-4 March

India v Australia (3rd Test) – Dharamsala, India, 1-5 March

South Africa v West Indies (2nd Test) – Johannesburg, South Africa, 8-12 March

New Zealand v Sri Lanka (1st Test) – Christchurch, New Zealand, 9-13 March

India v Australia (4th Test) – Ahmedabad, India, 9-13 March

New Zealand v Sri Lanka (2nd Test) – Wellington, New Zealand, 17-21 March