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AB de Villiers was in the stands at Lord's when South Africa ended a nearly three-decade long wait for a major title by winning the WTC Final. (AP Photo)
Despite India’s reported interest, the title clashes for the next three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC) will continue to be played in England, the International Cricket Committee (ICC) confirmed on Sunday.
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It was one of the outcomes of the Annual General Meeting of the ICC that was held in Singapore. A statement released by ICC said that the Board “confirmed the awarding of hosting rights for the ICC World Test Championship Finals for the 2027, 2029, and 2031 editions to the England and Wales Cricket Board, following a successful track record in hosting recent finals.” So far, all three editions of the WTC Finals have been held in England. The first two finals were held at The Rose Bowl in Southampton (New Zealand beat India) and The Oval in London (Australia beat India) respectively.
According to a PTI report in May, the BCCI was contemplating hosting the WTC final of the 2025-2027 cycle in India and that discussions regarding the same were held during the ICC’s chief executives committee in Zimbabwe earlier this year. The South Africa vs Australia clash this year – the third WTC final and the first not featuring India – was held in front of packed stands at the Lord’s Cricket Ground as the Proteas men ended their major ICC trophy drought.
“Lord’s is a place synonymous with Test cricket and this was a match fitting of both the occasion and the venue,” ICC Chair Jay Shah had said in a statement shortly after South Africa’s triumph. “This was the third instalment of the ICC World Test Championship Final, the first at Lord’s, and those involved in preparing the playing surfaces, delivering the match and hosting the teams and supporters should be very proud of the show they helped put on.”
The ICC also said that the Board received an update on progress relating to the support for displaced women cricketers of Afghan descent. “This initiative is being advanced through a collaborative effort led by the ICC, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and Cricket Australia (CA), under the supervision of ICC Deputy Chair Mr Imran Khwaja. The programme aims to deliver structured support through high-performance initiatives, domestic playing opportunities, and engagement at key ICC global events, including the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England,” the statement added.
Two new members joined the ICC family to take the total membership to 110 members with Timor-Leste Cricket Federation and Zambia Cricket Union formally becoming ICC Associate members.
English (US) ·