ICC World Test Championship
New Zealand have become the winners of the eagerly awaited first World Test Championship by cricket fans around the world. Kane Williamson and his team defeated India by eight wickets in a thrilling match. Kyle Jamison, who took seven wickets in two innings, was the man of the match. Williamson’s unbeaten half – century in the second innings helped the Kiwis win. Discussions on the prize money for the winners are in full swing. Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the prize money for the winners.
The New Zealand team that wins the final will receive a Test Championship prize of $ 1.6 million. The runners-up Indian team will receive a cash prize of $ 8 lakh. The third-placed team will receive $ 450,000 and the fourth-place finisher will receive $ 350,000 from the other nine teams that took part in the Test Championship tournament.
The fifth-place finishers will receive $ 2 million, while the top nine finishers will receive $ 1 million each. The ICC has decided that if the Test Championship final ends in a draw, the prize money for the first and second place will be shared equally between the two teams. Had the match been a draw, both teams would have had the right to hold the mace for the championship winners.
Test cricket, the longest format in cricket, has never had an ICC tournament. Earlier in the calendar year, the top-ranked team in the ICC Test rankings was handed the Test Championship by May. The championship was launched to promote ICC Test cricket, which hosts the World Cup in limited overs formats, and to attract more teams to the Tests. Rain and lack of light throughout the match dampened the spirit of the first Test Championship final, but the ICC was able to determine the winner. The pacers filled the field and in the end the victory came with New Zealand.
India suffered another setback in the second innings. India lost eight wickets for 99 runs. Wicketkeeper – batsman Rishabh Pant was India’s top scorer in the second innings with 41 runs. The Kiwis lost only Tom Lath and Devon Conway as India chased down the target of 139 runs. Ashwin took two wickets. Experienced Kane Williamson (52 *) and Ross Taylor (47 *) easily overcame the Indian challenge to lead the Kiwis to victory.