New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said that his team is excited to reach the inaugural final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). According to the Kiwi captain, the event adds context to the test format and makes things more exciting.
Kane Williamson’s remarks came after Australia’s decision to postpone Australia’s South Africa tour to qualify for the World Test Championship final with 70 percent of New Zealand’s points.
PTI Kane Williamson was quoted as telling YouTube channel ‘Sports Today’:
“It is exciting to play in the finals of the first (world) Test Championship. The addition of the Test Championship has brought another change in the context of Test cricket and it has been a really interesting move.”
He Further added:
“I think we have seen this happen in recent months, where the sides have benefited from opportunities for players to advance themselves to the finals and it is very exciting.”
Kane Williamson has been sensational in the build up to the ICC World Test Championship final. He Recorded his career-best 251 against the West Indies, and then scored another double century against Pakistan, as the Kiwis kept both their opponents at home. The 30-year-old is also the current number 1 ranked batsman in Test cricket.
Which team will meet New Zealand led by Kane Williamson in the WTC final?
In all likelihood, India or England will take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. India, who will host England in a four-match Test series starting on 5 February, will have to beat the visitors by a margin of at least 2–1 to qualify. On the other hand, England will need to outperform India by a margin of at least 3–1 to progress to the WTC final.
Australia can still make it to the finals if the India-England series ends in a draw or host and the guests fail to win one or more Tests respectively.
Had the Australian team not been able to score four WTC points for a slow over rate after the MCG Test against India, they would have been in a better position to qualify.
When will the World Test Championship final be held?
The final of the inaugural World Test Championship will be played at Lord’s from 18 to 22 June. The match was initially scheduled to be played around 10 June. But the IPL finals were also likely to be held around the same time, with players feeling that they might face difficult quarantine issues.
Therefore, the last dates were revised to June 18–22, with June 23 being the reserve day.
Published 03 Feb 2021 07:48 AM IST
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