ICC switches to 'simpler' equal points system for second edition of World Test Championship

The International Cricket Council said on Wednesday it has changed its points system ahead of the second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) after receiving feedback that it needed to be "simplified".

The sport's global governing body (ICC) said teams will be awarded 12 points for every match victory, four for a draw and six in the event of a tie, with the percentage of points won used to determine the standings.

Previously, the same number of points were allocated to each series, divided across the number of matches played.

The change will apply for the second edition of the WTC.

In November, the ICC said teams would be ranked based on the percentage of points earned from completed matches to determine the finalists, after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule.

"We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified," ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

"The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardised points system for each match.

"It maintained the principle of ensuring that all matches in a WTC series count towards a team's standing while accommodating series varying in length between two tests and five tests."

New Zealand claimed the inaugural WTC title with an eight-wicket victory over India in the final last month.

The second WTC commences with the England-India series in Nottingham on Aug. 4. The nine participating teams will play six series each, three home and three away, with the cut-off date being March 31, 2023.