World Test Championship 2021-23 Rewind: A Look Back At Records And Unforgettable Moments Of Test Cricket

26.12.2023 - 10:34 sports.ndtv.com

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle witnessed two years of enthralling cricket action among nine Test cricket-playing nations.

As many as 57 out of 69 Tests produced results and only 12 matches ended in draws, proving that ICC's idea of adding context to the longest format with the World Test Championship turned out to be a masterstroke. The Ultimate Test Australia got their hands on the WTC Trophy by getting the better of India in the WTC 2021-23 final, also known as the Ultimate Test.

Led by Travis Head's 163 and Steve Smith's 121, Australia posted 469 in their first innings and managed to bowl out India for 296.

Australia declared their second innings at 270/8 and dismissed India for 234, courtesy of three-wicket hauls each from Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland.

cricket Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team England Cricket Team records Test Scott Boland Steve Smith Australia South Africa New Zealand India Sri Lanka Bangladesh Pakistan

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic will bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam when he defends his Australia Open title later this month in Melbourne. Ahead of the Australia Open, Djokovic played an exhibition match with Stefanos Tsitsipas, the man he beat at last year's final at the Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic also hosted a host of Australian celebrities during the even, including Australian cricketer Steve Smith. He also played cricket with Smith and late great Shane Warne's son Jackson. The 36-year-old also revealed that he is in contact with star India batter Virat Kohli through text messaging, despite not meeting him in person.

Smith replaces Warner as Australia test opener

:Steve Smith will take over from David Warner and open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja for Australia's test team, selector George Bailey said on Wednesday ahead of a two-match series against West Indies later this month.

Viral Video: 'Wet Pitch' Stops Play, Batter Taken Aback. Internet Calls It 'Flash Flood'

A video of a batter's practice is going viral on social media. In the clip, the right-handed batter could be seen playing in the nets. The bowler bowls a fuller delivery down the leg stump and the batter plays a flick shot on it towards the fine leg region where a water tank was placed. The ball hit the bottom part of the plastic tank so hard that it bursted and the pitch was submerged within seconds. The batter was also taken aback with the result of the shot.

Steve Smith Stops Play For Bizarre Reason During Sydney Test - Video Is Viral

The play was stopped for a bizarre reason that left the commentators in splits during Day 3 of the third Test match between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney on Friday. Steve Smith complained about something on the side screen that was distracting him while batting. It is quite common for batters to adjust the side screen or complain about some crowd movement while batting. However, it turned out to be a little bundle of tape that was causing the problem and the commentators were left amused.