The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed a massive increase in prize money for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and released a promotional video featuring several past and present stars as the anticipation builds for The Ultimate Test.
The winners of the WTC Final, to be played between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s from 11-15 June, will take home a purse of $ 3.6 million, more than double of what New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023) earned after winning the previous two finals.
The losing finalists too will earn more than the earlier top prize money, assured of more than $ 2.1 million this time. The winners of the previous two editions won $1.6 million while the losing finalists got $ 800,000.
The increase in prize money exhibits the ICC’s efforts to prioritize Test cricket as it looks to build on the momentum of the first three cycles of the nine-team competition.
The third edition saw South Africa finish on a high with 2-0 home series wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, ending with 69.44 percentage points. Defending champions Australia finished with 67.54 points while India finished with 50.00 after leading the table for much of the time.
ICC Chair Jay Shah wished the finalists the very best as they set their sights on the Test Mace.
ICC Chair Jay Shah: “We have witnessed a very interesting third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, where the finalists were decided only towards the end of the competition.
“The championship has showcased remarkable performances from players of different teams, culminating in a final between these two exceptional squads – a true celebration of cricket.
“I am sure spectators at Lord’s, along with fans tuning in from all over the world, will be treated to some top-class cricket in this revered format when Australia and South Africa take the field less than a month from now.
