It may have been delayed by pandemic snags in 2021 and commercial snags in 2023 but the third World Test Championship final finally gets underway at Lord’s this week, with defending champions Australia taking on South Africa for the right to lift the oversized Chupa Chup Mace. It is an occasion of considerable significance, with the winner cementing their status as the best team in a format that has had trouble getting off the ground.
New Zealand’s triumph in the inaugural final was hailed as just desserts for a golden generation that had fallen short of its potential in white-ball cricket, and Australia’s success two years later whetted their appetite for this week’s defence. Whether it is Pat Cummins or Temba Bavuma hoisting the mace aloft, this final will be one of the most anticipated in recent memory.
The ICC introduced this competition as a way to increase the importance and relevance of Test cricket in a world dominated by T20 tournaments. It has been criticised as too complicated and with a final that seems to come out of nowhere, but the intention was a good one. Richer countries such as Australia, England and India face a dilemma in that five-Test series are high quality, exciting and profitable but they can also be exhausting to win. This can mean scheduling a lot of two-Test series, which can lead to fixture fatigue for the opposition and can dilute their precious points-per-Test ratio.