Day: September 21, 2025

The World Test Championship is a two-year league and final tournament that launched in 2019 to give additional context to the longest format of cricket. The competition features nine full member teams: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.

The finalists play a series of home and away matches, with each match contributing points towards the overall standings. A win is worth 12 points, a draw is worth 4 points and a tie is worth 6 points. Each team’s over rate is also taken into account, with points deducted for each slow over rate.

A team must earn a minimum of four points from its first three games to qualify for the final, with a maximum of nine points from five matches. The top two teams in the overall standings will compete for the trophy.

Defending champions Australia and first-time finalists South Africa will face off in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Wednesday 11 June. If you are interested in attending this exciting event, click here to find out how to get tickets for the match at the Home of Cricket. Hospitality tickets are also available.

The tournament was designed to provide a more structured path for the top tier of international cricket, while still leaving plenty of room for traditional bilateral rivalries between the Big Three and the other ranked teams. But the championship is far from perfect. Its complex league system, which spans two years and passes almost entirely unnoticed, is an inefficient and cumbersome way to structure the game of test cricket, especially as compared to the more succinct and structured world cup cycle.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a flurry of athlete retirement news from Super Bowl hero Nick Foles to Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan. In addition to the physical toll of retirement, it can be a tough mental transition as athletes find their new self-identity outside of their sport. Athletes often spend their entire lives preparing for one moment, and when that day comes, it can be difficult to let go.

The average professional athlete retires much earlier than most Americans, and for some it can be a difficult adjustment from training around the clock to living on a minimum wage salary with little support. In fact, some former Olympians have reported relying on food stamps and credit card debt in their early post-athletic years.

Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to make the transition easier. The first is to remember that retiring isn’t a sudden act. Instead, athletes should think of it as a process, and implement methods like competing less frequently, training less or giving themselves days off from their sport to slowly adjust to the new lifestyle.

Another way to ease the transition is to stay connected with peers, teammates and coaches after retiring from their sport. It can help athletes maintain a sense of identity and purpose in life, and also ensure that they continue to keep fit outside of their sport community. Lastly, it’s important for athletes to understand the risks of retiring too soon and consider taking out a policy such as permanent total disability insurance to protect their financial future.