Cricket match
Cricket final
The final of the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship is due to be played from 18–22 June 2021 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton between India and New Zealand. 23 June 2021 is set as the reserve day for the match, but will only be used if time that was lost on the first five days has not been made up during those days.[1] If the match is either a draw or ends in a tie, both teams will be declared as joint winners, sharing the trophy.[2]
Background
Panorama of the Rose Bowl, Southampton, the venue for the final match
India and New Zealand qualified for the final as the top two teams in the league stage of the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple series being postponed, the league standings were determined by percentage of points earned.[3][4] On 2 February 2021, Australia postponed their away series against South Africa, resulting in a guaranteed berth in the final for New Zealand.[5][6] On 6 March 2021, India also confirmed their berth for the final, after beating England by 3–1 in a home Test series.[7]
The final was initially due to be held at Lord's, but on 10 March 2021 the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the game had been moved to Rose Bowl as the ground's on-site hotels made the venue suitable to establish a bubble environment, made necessary by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9] England had used the ground for some of their international fixtures in 2020.[10] On 8 June 2021, the ICC appointed the match officials for the final, with Michael Gough and Richard Illingworth named as the on-field umpires.[11] Prior to the final match, the Indian team played a four day intra-squad practice match in Rose Bowl itself, to get their team match ready as India players haven't played any matches since the suspension of 2021 IPL, while New Zealand played a two test match series against England before the Final.
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