On Saturday, South Africa, famously known as ‘chokers’, defeated Australia at Lord's on Day 4 of the World Test Championship (2023-25 cycle) to end their 27 years of heartbreak for an ICC trophy. Three days later, the fourth edition of the WTC, the 2025-27 cycle, began with Sri Lanka hosting Bangladesh at Galle.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the new cycle will be similar to the previous ones. Nine teams will contest the WTC and each nation will play six other sides—three home and three away—over the course of the two-year period, the ICC stated in a statement on Tuesday.

While the two South Asian countries play, the five-match series between England and India, which starts on June 20 at Headingley, will be the second fixture of the 2025-27 cycle. India will then travel to Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford and The Oval for the next four matches of the series.

Similarly, Australia, which won the second edition while losing the third, will begin their conquest for a second trophy at the WTC in the Caribbean. The West Indies will host the Aussies for three Test matches, with the winner also lifting the Frank Worrell Trophy.

Not all teams will play equal matches throughout the cycle.

Australia play 11 matches at home and the same number away. England play 11 Tests on their turf and 10 on the road, read the press release by the ICC. India will play 18 matches in this cycle, split evenly home and away, with 2021 champions New Zealand playing in 16.

Points division

In the 2023-25 cycle, South Africa entered the final after playing 12 matches while Australia played 19. England, who were fifth in the points table, played 22 matches in total.

As an unequal number of games affects the points directly, the ICC uses the percentage of points (PCT) to rank teams fairly. PCT is calculated by dividing the total points earned by the total points available, and then multiplying by 100.

Further, as per the WTC points system, a team gets 12 points for a win, 6 for a tie and 4 for a draw. In Test, a tie happens when both teams finish with the exact same score, while a draw means that the game ends without a result.

Moreover, there will be a maximum of 120 points available for each series; it is then evenly divided across the number of matches in the series.

For instance, in the two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the winner gets 60 points. But when India tours Australia within a couple of days for a five-match series, the winner will only get 24 points. The winners in the three and four-match series will earn 40 and 30 winning points, respectively.

If teams have equal points at the end of the Round Stage, they will be separated based on the number of 'series won'. "If still level, officials will look at runs per wicket ratio (runs scored per wicket lost, divided by runs conceded per wicket taken)," read the playing conditions for WTC.

There are also rules for over-rate penalties. As per the ICC, for each Penalty Over, there will be two WTC Competition Points deducted from the team’s total points.

Meanwhile, if a match is abandoned due to an unfit pitch or outfield, the win points will be awarded to the visiting team.

Bangladesh in command

Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim shared a record fourth-wicket stand to guide Bangladesh to 292/3 on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Bangladesh were struggling at 45/3 before the pair turned the tide. Mushfiqur, playing his 97th Test and under scrutiny for a poor run, silenced critics with his 12th century, aided by a dropped catch on 25.

Shanto, aggressive from the start, brought up his sixth Test ton—his first since November 2023—with a sweep off Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka gave debuts to Tharindu Rathnayake and Lahiru Udara, while veteran Angelo Mathews was honoured ahead of his 119th and final Test.

The 38-year-old Mathews, playing his 119th and final Test, will hang up his gloves with over 8,000 runs, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in Sri Lanka's all-time charts.

Photo: AFP/RSS

Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto celebrates after scoring a century on Day 1 of the first Test against host Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.