New Delhi: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly set to retain the hosting rights for the finals of the next three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC) till 2031. The finals of all three editions of the World Test Championship have been played in England so far. A decision on the venues of the next three editions of the WTC final is expected to be taken at the ICC annual conference in July.
However, as per a report in the Telegraph, England is set to retain the hosting rights and the ICC is expected to confirm the decision in the annual conference next month. The report claims that the ECB has already received verbal assurance from the ICC about the deal, and the board has beaten competition from BCCI, which had also expressed interest in hosting the WTC final.
Several discussions have taken place regarding the hosting rights of the WTC final of the next three editions in recent ICC meetings. England emerged as the preferred venue for the finals due to its ability to draw crowds at the venues even for neutral Test matches. England are yet to reach the WTC final, but all three editions so far have witnessed a great crowd.
While the ongoing WTC 2023-25 final between Australia and South Africa is being played at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, the last final between India and Australia was played at The Oval in London. The maiden WTC final between India and New Zealand was played in Southampton in 2021 amid COVID-19 restrictions.
If the ECB manages to retain the hosting rights for the next three editions of the WTC final, England would be hosting six straight finals of the tournament. While multiple factors, including crowd pull, conditions and weather, have worked in England’s favour in terms of getting the hosting rights for the WTC final, there have been criticisms from many about only one country getting to host the all-important matches.
When Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma spoke against England hosting WTC finals
Former India Test captain Rohit Sharma was one of the first prominent names to criticise the ICC’s decision to award hosting rights to England as a neutral venue for the WTC final. After India’s loss to Australia in the final of the last edition at The Oval in London, Rohit questioned both the location and timing of the matches, calling for more flexibility.
“Why after the IPL final? Why cannot it be March? June is not the only month we should play the final. It can be played any time of the year and anywhere in the world, not just in England,” said Rohit.
Speaking ahead of the ongoing WTC 2023-25 final against South Africa at Lord’s, Australia skipper Pat Cummins also opened up on the scheduling of the event and proposed the idea of the winner of the last edition hosting the summit clash. Cummins insisted Lord’s was a great venue, but said the winner of the last edition should host the final.
England is likely to retain the hosting rights of the finals for the next three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC) despite facing competition from the BCCI. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
