Test cricket is usually considered the most prestigious format of the sport. It’s simply because this is the oldest form of cricket and it dates back more than 100 years! As time goes by, however, the popularity of test cricket is seeing a decline in popularity. It’s partly due to the rise of short forms like ODI, T20, and even T10! The very first official test match took place in 1877, between Australia and England. You can consider it the very beginning of the Ashes trophy too. The venue for this match was the Melbourne Cricket Ground which still remains one of the most iconic cricket venues. The 2-match series ended in a 1-1 draw. Well, it’s not the history of test cricket that we’re trying to cover in this guide. Rather, it’s the ICC World Test Championship. The history lesson was necessary to create contrast for this very new tournament that plans to revive test cricket from the edge of extinction.
And we’re going to look at it from a bettor’s perspective. Needless to say, the actual topic of our discussion is ICC World Test Championship betting. We’re going to cover its format, all the possible markets you can expect, what kind of bonuses you can expect, and whatnot.
The origins of this particular tournament date back to 2009. But the very first tournament took place during 2019-2021. What happened during that 10 years, you ask? You know Martin Crowe, right? He might’ve been active before a lot of you started the following cricket but he’s still considered one of the finest batsmen out of New Zealand. It’s believed that Martin Crowe was one of the main advocates for the ICC Test Championship.
Initially, the format of the tournament only considered 4 top teams from the world ranking. The matches start with 2 semi-finals and end with the WTC final. It was also destined to replace the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. The announcement came shortly after. The formats, the venues, and the participating teams were announced by the ICC. However, it got cancelled in 2011 due to internal conflict and budgetary issues. During that time, the tournament was postponed till 2017.
Another meeting of the ICC officials in 2012 announced that the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy would be the last one as the ICC World Cup is the top-tier tournament of One Day Internationals (ODI). Again, it was pushed and ICC Trophy 2017 was reinstated.
Finally, the ICC World Test Championship debuted in 2019 with the Ashes Series. The latest format dictated that the championship will last 2 years. The global pandemic in 2021 disrupted the flow. Thankfully, the tournament still finished in time with New Zealand as the first-ever winner of the ICC Test Championship. The next tournament started in August of 2021 and it’s following a fully new points system.
The new points system dictates that every team gets 12 points for a win, 6 points for a tie, 4 points for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. If you’re not aware, a tie and a draw are not the same in test cricket. A tie is when both teams have the same score at the end of a match. A draw, on the other hand, is when a match concludes due to time limitations. Interestingly, the ICC World Test Championship was proposed to be of timeless format at one point! Speaking of the latest tournament of the ICC World Test Championship, let’s go over what you can expect when betting on matches.
The very second edition of the debated World Test Championship is already rolling. It started in August of 2021 and will end in March of 2023. The first rendition of the tournament was part of the Ashes Series. This time, it’s the Pataudi Trophy. India and England have already rolled the dice while Zealand is the defending champion. According to ICC’s latest declarations, the WTC final will take place at the Oval, the infamous cricket ground in London.
Each of the participating teams will play 6 series, 3 on their home turf and the other 3 away from home. All the test matches are scheduled as 5-day matches. According to the new points system, the percentage of points won will also play a role in determining which 4 teams will play in the finals.
All of these rules and regulations have created some amazing opportunities for British punters to enjoy their time as well as savor it. As the tournament keeps on going for 2 years straight, there are more than enough opportunities for bettors to find the right market at the right odds. In this section, let’s go over the most popular markets for cricket betting in the UK as well as other helpful information.
As promised, we’re going to start the discussion with the markets. A “market” in sports betting is the outcome you can bet on. We know that you know it already but we try to cover little things here and there for our new readers. You’re welcome. So, here go the top markets for ICC World Test Championship betting.
So, where can you watch the matches? Even if you’re not a serious bettor, you need ways to watch the games. The interesting thing about ICC events is that the broadcasting rights are also transferred to ICC. It means almost every international broadcasting company can buy the rights. It’s different from a local governing body, such as BCCI or Cricket Australia in that they retain the broadcasting rights to local providers.
As for the ICC World Test Championship, the ICC website lists all the broadcasters. In the UK, you can catch matches on Sky Sports Cricket. If you prefer digital streaming, you can go for Hotstar and ESPN+. If you’re planning to fly out of the UK for business or pleasure when a match is due, you can check the ICC website for a valid channel. Of course, it’s going to vary based on where you’re going.
Given that you’re reading this guide on time, the ICC World Test Championship should still be ongoing. It means you have some to handpick your bets. And when you get such luxury, you should definitely utilise it to get an edge. We can help you in that regard with our tips.
By offers, we’re referring to the bonuses and promotions you can expect from the operators. It’s one of the things we like the most about online gambling. You can always get some amazing bonuses. If a particular operator is not offering any, you can switch to one that does! So, what kind of WTC offers the bookmakers in the UK may offer? Let’s take a look.
The great thing about the UK’s online gambling status is that there’s an abundance of bookmakers. At the same time, it creates the bittersweet problem of having too many options, especially for new bettors.
So, we’ve chosen the top 3 betting sites for ICC Test Championship. If you don’t want to go through the intense process of choosing your own, you can stick to these 3 for now.
Betfred is one of the oldest online betting sites in the UK. It’s licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, as you’d expect from the top British betting companies. You can get to the cricket menu from the “All Sports” menu located on the left-hand side of the screen.
Apart from the ICC Test Championship, you should find other high-voltage events like ICC World Cup, the Big Bash League, The Ashes, and whatnot. Betfred also offers a very generous welcome bonus to the newcomers. You can win up to £30 in free bets right after you sign up!
BetVictor as an online betting site is just as reputed as Betfred, if not more. It has a very clean interface with crisp text on the screen. The sports menu is listed on the top section of the sportsbook homepage. All you have to do is choose cricket and then the ICC World Test Championship. BetVictor is one of the safest betting sites in the UK because it’s not only licensed by the UKGC but also affiliated with IBAS and GBGA.
The legacy of Coral in the UK goes beyond just the iGaming industry. It’s been operating physical betting shops all over the country for almost 100 years! The online portal of this company is just as competitive as you expect. The sports library is visible when you can get to the cricket page with a single click. You can sort the matches by their timeline or tournaments.
Predictions and tips in sports betting mean exactly what they sound like. Pretty much every online betting site shares predictions as well as tips almost daily during a high-voltage event. The ICC World Test Championship is undoubtedly a high-voltage tournament.
To get the most accurate predictions of the match outcomes as well as player props, all you have to do is keep an eye on our website. Be sure to tune in on the match day to get an idea of what our extremely-qualified analysts are thinking about a match.
As you already know, the 2019-2021 World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the top-tier ICC event in test cricket. ICC’s goal has always been to create top-level tournaments for all forms of international cricket. For ODIs, it’s the ICC World Cup. And for T20s, it’s the ICC T20 World Cup. With the WTC, a tournament on the same level is launched, but for test cricket.
The 2019-2021 season debuted with the top 9 test-playing teams from the points table. All was going well until the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the flow. Several matches were postponed and some were cancelled altogether.
By the end of the tournament, New Zealand came out victorious. A large part of the reason is Australia’s cancellation of their South Africa tour amidst the pandemic. India, on the other hand, is the runner-up. It got to the final by beating England by 3-1 on their home turf.
As 2019-2021 is the only completed season, therefore for the ICC World Test Championship final, we only have one champion to list.
From what you’ve read so far, it should intrigue your interest in the 2021-2023 ICC Test Championship. It’s still not too late to jump on the betting wagon. Just make sure you’re comparing the odds at the best betting sites before you confirm a bet.
Of course. The entire online gambling industry depends on your real money bets. Unlike casino games, there are no “demo bets” for sports events.
Yes, it does. Live betting is, in fact, one of the integral parts of modern-day sports betting. Almost every online bookmaker will let you wager on the outcomes when a match is live.
The current champion of the finest tournament in test cricket is New Zealand. It’s still defending the title in the 2021y-2023 season.