ICC World Test Championship: List of all winners

The winners of the ICC World Test Championship get the test mace.

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) was introduced in 2019 by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to revive the traditional and longest format of the game. The tournament was designed to engage the top test-playing nations in league-style bilateral series for over two years.

All nine top test-playing nations are part of the ICC WTC. The format of the test tournament is such that each team plays six bilateral series over the cycle two years. They have to play three home series and three away series against six opponents out of the other eight teams.

The top two teams in the points table after the completion of each WTC cycle book a berth in the final. They are ranked in the points table according to win percentage (PCT). The winners of the WTC final lift the ICC test mace. So far, three editions of the tournament have taken place since 2019. Moreover, all three finals have taken place in England.

On that note, let’s glance at the list of all winners of ICC World Test Championship.

1. New Zealand (2019-21)

New Zealand were the winners of the maiden edition of the ICC WTC, which took place between 2019-21. The tournament was hampered by COVID-19, and many series got cancelled due to the pandemic. Later, the ICC decided to pick the finalists on the basis of win percentage and not points as earlier planned.

New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, played five series during the tournament, winning seven games and losing four out of 11 matches. They earned a win percentage of 70.0 to finish in the second spot in the points table, following the Virat Kohli-led Indian Cricket Team at the top spot with a win percentage of 72.20.

The WTC 2019-21 final took place at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, and the Kiwis outplayed India by a huge margin of eight wickets. They bundled out Virat Kohli & Co. for 217 in the first innings with pacer Kyle Jamieson picking a five-wicket haul. Then they got all out for 249 runs in their first innings, taking a slender lead.

In the second innings, they bowled out India for just 170 to set up an easy target of 139 runs. Skipper Williamson (52*) scored an unbeaten half-century to power New Zealand to victory like a walk in the park.

2. Australia (2021-23)

Australian Cricket Team were the champions of the ICC WTC 2021-23 edition and showed a wonderful form throughout the two-year cycle. The Pat Cummins-led side commenced their journey with a marvellous 4-0 victory against England in The Ashes 2021-22 at home.

Later, they also captured test series victories against Pakistan, the West Indies, and South Africa. One series against Sri Lanka ended in a draw. Towards the end of the tournament in March 2023, Australia lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2022-23 against India.

However, they still finished in the peak position with a win percentage of 66.67, winning 11 games and losing only three matches out of 19 tests. Five of their encounters ended in a draw. India grabbed the second spot in the points table with a win percentage of 58.80.

In the WTC 2021-23 final, the Pat Cummins-led side avenged their BGT defeat against the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team. At the Kia Oval in London, the Aussies piled up a gigantic total of 469/10 in the first innings with the help of spectacular centuries by Steve Smith (121) and Travis Head (163).

They bundled out India for just 296 and declared their batting at 270/8 in the second innings. The mountainous 444-run target was almost an impossible task for India as they succumbed to the pressure, getting all out for just 234. Australia clinched a victory by a huge margin of 209 runs to become the first team to win ICC titles across all three formats of the game.

2. South Africa (2023-25)

South Africa Cricket Team won the third edition of ICC WTC by defeating Australia in the summit clash at the Lord’s in London. The Proteas were the first team to book a berth in the final, by winning eight games and losing only three out of 12 tests, while one match ended in a draw.

They commenced their campaign with a 1-1 draw against India in a home series. Later, they lost an away series against New Zealand 0-2. However, they grabbed four back-to-back victories in test series against West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan later. Winning seven games in a row, they finished in the top spot in the points table with a win percentage of 69.44.

In the WTC 2023-25 final, the Temba Bavuma-led side opted to bowl first at the Lord’s. On the back of Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul, they bundled out the Australian team for 212 in the first innings. However, they failed to come up with an equally good batting show and got all out for 138 runs, offering a lead of 74 runs.

Australia piled up 207/10 in the second innings to build a challenging target of 282. However, South Africa bounced back well in the second innings with the bat. Opener Aiden Markram slammed a sensational century to help Proteas win the encounter and snatch the ICC test mace.

(List updated till 14th June, 2025)

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