The ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 (WTC) began on August 4, 2021, with the Pataudi Trophy series between England and India.
WTC 2021-23 will be played over two years, with 69 matches across 27 Test series. Each team is scheduled to play six series, three at home and three away.
The ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 will draw to a close with a final featuring the top two teams on March 31, 2023.
ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 records
Highest team total: The record for the highest team total in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 belongs to India. In the first Test of the two-game series against Sri Lanka, the Rohit Sharma-led India side posted 574/8d with Ravindra Jadeja registering the best all-round performance of an unbeaten 175 and 9/87. The match marked Rohit Sharma’s winning start as Test captain.
| Highest team total | ||
| Team | Opponent | Score |
| India | Sri Lanka | 574/8d |
| New Zealand | Bangladesh | 521/6d |
| South Africa | 482 | |
Lowest team total: New Zealand are the unfortunate owners of the record for lowest team total in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. The Black Caps were bundled out for 62 by India, with Ravichandran Ashwin claiming four wickets for mere eight runs. Only two Kiwi batters reached double figures.
| Lowest team total | ||
| Team | Opponent | Score |
| New Zealand | India | 62 |
| England | Australia | 68 |
| India | England | 78 |
Most runs: England Test skipper Joe Root has scored the most runs in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 by a mile. The 31-year-old has aggregated 1,008 runs in the tournament and is the first to breach the four-figure mark.
| Most runs | |||
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs |
| Joe Root | England | 10 | 1,008 |
| Usman Khawaja | Australia | 4 | 556 |
| KL Rahul | India | 7 | 541 |
Highest individual score: Tom Latham’s knock of 252 against Bangladesh is the highest individual score in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.
| Highest Individual score | |||
| Player | Team | Opponent | Runs |
| Tom Latham | New Zealand | Bangladesh | 252 |
| Azhar Ali | Pakistan | Australia | 185 |
| Joe Root | England | India | 180* |
Most runs in a single series: England’s Joe Root amassed most runs in a single series within the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. He scored 564 runs in four innings at an average of 94.
| Most runs in a single series | ||
| Player | Team | Runs |
| Joe Root | England | 564 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 368 |
| Travis Head | Australia | 357 |
Most wickets: The record for most wickets in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 currently belongs to Jasprit Bumrah. The pacer has scalped 40 wickets in nine matches, with his best bowling performance of 5/24 coming against Sri Lanka.
| Most wickets | |||
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets |
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 9 | 40 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Pakistan | 6 | 32 |
| Ollie Robinson | England | 8 | |
Best bowling figure: New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel is the player with the best bowling figure in ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. The India-born spinner grabbed a 10-wicket haul in the first innings of the Wankhede Test in 2021 and became the third bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings.
| Best bowling figure | |||
| Player | Team | Opposition | Bowling figures |
| Ajaz Khan | New Zealand | India | 10/119 |
| Sajid Khan | Pakistan | Bangladesh | 8/42 |
| Matt Henry | New Zealand | South Africa | 7/23 |
Most wickets in a single series: Ollie Robinson and Pat Cummins share the joint record for most wickets in a single series within the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. While Robinson grabbed 21 wickets against India in a four-match series, Australia’s Cummins picked the same number of scalps in the 2021 Ashes.
| Most wickets in a single series | ||
| Player | Team | Runs |
| Ollie Robinson | England | 21 |
| Pat Cummins | Australia | |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 20 |
Author: William Paul
Featured photo: AFP / MANJUNATH KIRAN
