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

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. Australia won by 209 runs to win their ninth ICC trophy.

The victory made Australia the sole team with each major ICC trophy in their cabinet: five ODI World Cups (now six), two ODI Champions Trophies, one T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship.

WTC 2021-23 points table

At the end of the championship cycle, the teams' standings saw Australia atop the WTC points table with 152 points and a 66.67% points percentage, followed by India with 127 points and a 58.8% percentage - the two teams with the highest percentage of wins qualified for the final.

South Africa (55.56%), England (46.97%), Sri Lanka (44.44%), New Zealand (38.46%), Pakistan (38.10%), West Indies (34.62%) and Bangladesh (11.11%) finished the 2021-23 WTC cycle in respective order.

The arrival of Bazball

England's aggressive play introducing the 'Bazball' style to Test cricket took the world by storm. Captain Ben Stokes was at the forefront of the 'Bazball' strategy, striking