ICC World Test Championship Final Venue, Dates, Records, Facts, Batting records, bowling records all you need to know.
ICC World Test Championship 2019-21: The Rose Bowl Stadium, Southampton will shape into a theatre of the high-pressure battle between two of the modern-day giants of test cricket. India and New Zealand will fight out the summit clash of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship and give their all to win and to be crowned as the champions.
New Zealand will head to Southampton after playing two test games against England at Lord’s and Edgbaston. While on the other side, India will head straight to the final heat of the summit clash.
The Kiwis will come roaring high in confidence as New Zealand has lost just one test game in the last two years. Back in January 2020, New Zealand was thrashed by Australians, since then Kane Willamson and Co. have emerged as the winners of every single test they played.
India will also not be any short of trust and self-belief as they had two brilliant test series against a quality opponent. In March 2021, India made England bow down as the hosts sealed the 4 games test series by 3-1 after a humiliating defeat in the first encounter.
The Indian outfits also conquered the Australia test series by 2-1 despite having been ravaged by multiple injuries to the senior players. India bounced back after the first abashed defeat and managed to seal the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
All these records will surely force more than a million eyeballs to watch the summit clash between India and New Zealand in Southampton, starting June 18.
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ICC World Test Championship Final All Details:
Match: ICC World Test Championship Final, India vs New Zealand
Day/Date: Friday – Tuesday, June 18-June 22
Reserve Day: 23rd June
Venue: Ageas Bowl, Southampton
All about the Ageas Bowl Stadium, Southampton:
The Ageas Bowl Stadium in Southampton is one of the best-equipped stadiums in the world. The ground can easily host 25000 fans at a time. The ground is not exposed to many test games, till now 6 Test games have been played on the ground.
The first game at Ageas Bowl was held on 16th June 2021 between England and Sri Lanka which ended in a draw. Also, this will be the first time when a test game will be played at Ageas Bowl without England participating in it.
Highest and Lowest Team Score at Ageas Bowl:
The English Cricket team holds the record for most runs scored in an inning at the Ageas Bowl. in 2020 against Pakistan, England plundered a staggering 583/8 total in the first innings with Zak Crawly making his double century, 267 precisely.
The lowest score at the Ageas Bowl goes to India under MS Dhoni. Back in 2014, the MS Dhoni-led Indian outfit went down to England as they were bowled out for mere 178 runs in the second innings of a test match and lost the game by a margin of 266 runs.
Highest Individual Score at Ageas Bowl:
The highest individual score at this stadium is owned by English batsman Zak Crawley. In 2020, Crawly amassed 267 runs against Pakistan which includes 34 boundaries and a solitary six. He faced 393 deliveries to reach his score.
Best Bowling Figures at Ageas Bowl:
West Indies senior all-rounder Jason Holder holds the record of best bowling figures at Ageas Bowl, Southampton. In July 2020, Holder scalped six wickets against England and helped his team win the game with four wickets to spare.
India’s memory in Southampton:
Unfortunately, India does not have any memorable outing in Southampton in Test cricket. India has played two tests here and has lost both. It will be interesting to watch the performance of the new Indian outfit in this very stadium in the high-pressure marquee ICC World Test Championship FInal.
New Zealand’s memory in Southampton:
Kane Williamson and his men are yet to step inside the stadium. They have never played a test here at Ageas Bowl.
Indian Team for ICC WTC Final:
India’s squad: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
New Zealand Team for ICC WTC Final:
Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, Daryll Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Jacob Duffy, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, BJ Watling, Kyle Jamieson, Will Young.
Ball to be Used:
As per the recent ICC release, a Grade 1 Dukes Ball will be used in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2019-21. Team India uses a normal SG ball in home test games while New Zealand uses a Kookaburra ball in home tests.
To abstain either side from any favourable advantage, ICC will use the grade 1 quality Dukes Balls for the final.
New Rules for ICC WTC Final:
Short Runs:
The TV Umpire will automatically access the short run call of the on-field umpire and clarify the proper decision to the umpires before the next ball.
DRS Call:
For a Leg Before Review, the height margin of the Wicket Zone has been lifted to the top of the stumps to ensure the same Umpire’s Call margin around the stumps for both height and width.
Player’s Review:
The batter or the opposition skipper is now allowed to communicate with the on-field umpire whether a genuine attempt to play the shots is made by the batsman before initiating the Player’s Review for LBW.
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