World Test Championship (2021–2023): The 6 Finest Tests Ever Played
World Test Championship (2021–2023): There have already been some fantastic Test matches in the second round of the World Test Championship. Here are six of the best.
#1 India vs. New Zealand – Kanpur, 2021
After the Lord’s final, the finalists of the first WTC cycle met for the first time at the Kanpur Test, and it was a doozy. After the first innings, Shreyas Iyer’s hundred and Will Young and Tom Latham’s strong 151-run opening stand made the score almost even. India’s strange second-inning declaration gave New Zealand 284 runs to win. Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel held on until the end of the last session on day five when they only had one wicket left. It was an excellent finish.
#2 Australia vs. England – Sydney 2022
Australia won the first three Tests of the series, and it looked like they would win the fourth Test in Sydney as well until Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow stood in their way. England couldn’t reach their goal of 388, but they were determined to keep going. Australia took the seventh wicket with more than 15 overs left in the day. By the 100th over, they had taken two more. Then, in a shocking way to end the game, No. 11 James Anderson got a maiden from Steve Smith in the last over.
#3 Pakistan vs. Australia – Karachi, 2022
Australia seemed to have a firm hold on the game after scoring 556 runs in the first innings and bowling Pakistan out for 148. However, Pakistan’s stubbornness in the last innings caused the Test to end in a tie. Australia lowered Pakistan’s chances of winning from 506 to 21/2, but Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam’s partnership of 200 runs kept Pakistan in the game. When Babar was finally out, with a score of 196, Rizwan, who never got out and finished with 104, took over to get Pakistan to safety.
#4 England vs. New Zealand – Nottingham, 2022
A fresh look The England team beat New Zealand at Lord’s by chasing 277 runs in the fourth innings, which was an amazing feat. But could they do it again? In the first innings at Nottingham, both England and New Zealand got 553 runs and 539 runs. New Zealand gave England a score of 299 to beat, and when they were 93/4, it looked like their hopes were over. However, Jonny Bairstow’s whirlwind knock and an incredible partnership with newly named captain Ben Stokes saved the day. Together, they scored 179 runs in 20 overs, which helped England reach its goal at a rate of 5.98 runs per over.
#5 Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan – Galle, 2022
Trying to catch a score of more than 100 in Galle is not easy, especially since the home team has as many as four spinners in its starting XI. In the first Test in Galle, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal played well to set a massive target of 344 runs for Pakistan to reach. By the end of day four, though, Abdullah Shafique’s century had helped Pakistan get to 222/3, a strong position from which they could set the rules. Unfortunately, the rain stopped play when Pakistan was still 11 runs away from the goal, but when they came back, they made quick work of the runs and won in a memorable way.
#6 England vs. India – Birmingham, 2022
The fifth and final Test of the series, which ended in 2021, was quite a show. Right after beating New Zealand 3-0 with three successful run chases in the fourth innings, England again won a run chase in the fourth innings. After giving India a lead of more than 100 runs in the first innings, England was starting to lose control of the game. However, India’s late collapse let them chase a target of 378 in the last innings. England’s chase got off to a good start with an opening partnership of 100 runs, but they lost three wickets in the space of two runs, giving the other team an early lead. From then on, though, England was on top of their game. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow both scored hundreds, and their unbeaten partnership helped England reach their goal.