5 WTC 2023–25 Matches Fans Will Never Forget — Part 1

The World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle is now officially coming to an end, with South Africa going against the defending champions, Australia. This time, the WTC cycle has been like no other, with significant changes to the points table coming out in the end, and four teams competing for the spot in the final clash.

Ultimately, it was South Africa who finished in the top spot in the rankings, and Australia just made it to the second spot after winning back-to-back matches against India and Sri Lanka. Nine teams went against each other in 27 Test series across the past two years, to fight for the spot in the final match. Amidst the cycle, fans saw several games where the thrill and player performances revived the Test format. Let’s take a look at some of the matches in this WTC cycle, which fans can never forget.

The Ashes 2023; 1st Test

Following their win in the finals of the WTC 2021-23 campaign, Australia went on a tour of England for the five-match Test series. The first match was to be played in Birmingham, and England were batting first. Joe Root dominated with his batting skills, as he scored 118 runs, while Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow scored half-centuries. England finished with a score of 393 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.

However, the Aussies had a magnificent innings on Day 2, as Usman Khawaja and Travis Head played well-settled knocks for the team. Khawaja lost his wicket after scoring 141, while Head was also able to score 50. At the stage when the team required runs from the middle order, Alex Carey scored 66, while Cameron Green and Pat Cummins scored 38 runs each. Australia finished with a score of 386, as Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson took 3 wickets each.

Starting the third innings with a lead of 7 runs, England had almost no answers to the dominant Australian bowling line-up. Joe Root and Harry Brook were the top scorers with 46 runs each, as England got all out at the score of 273 runs. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon finished with 4 wickets each, and now the job was for the batters to chase down the target of 281 runs.

But the English bowlers were able to put up a dominating comeback, putting Australia from 89-3 to 227-8 in just a few overs. However, Captain Pat Cummins, along with Nathan Lyon, took the responsibility to chase down the target without losing wickets. The team chased down the target with 2 wickets remaining, as Cummins scored 44 runs off 73 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes.

India Tour of South Africa, 2024; 2nd Test

The farewell Test for Dean Elgar also came in the current WTC cycle, as India went on a Tour of South Africa, which also included two Tests. After winning the first Test, South Africa looked forward to another win for a clean sweep. Playing at the Cape Town, the Proteas batted first and saw the domination of Indian bowlers. Mohammad Siraj took 6 wickets, as South Africa got all out at the score of 55 only.

Despite losing the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal quickly, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill showed resilience for the team. With KL Rahul also losing his wicket, the team stood at a score of 153 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Here came the biggest collapse in Test history, as the team got all out at the score of 153 within the next over.

With a trail of 98 runs, South Africa had high hopes this time with their batting order. Aiden Markram was the only stable performer for the team, scoring 106 runs off 103 balls. However, he didn’t receive the required support from the other end, due to which South Africa once again got all out at the score of 176. Jasprit Bumrah dominated with the ball for India this time, taking 6 wickets for 61 runs.

The target for the Indian team was just 79 runs, as Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a good start to the team. Despite losing three wickets, India still managed to win the match on just the second day of the Test, by 7 wickets, which also ended the iconic series against South Africa with a draw. For his brilliant bowling performances, Mohammad Siraj won the POTM, taking 7 wickets.

England Tour of Pakistan 2024; 1st Test

The Pakistani pitches are generally known for their flat tracks and favourable batting conditions. When England and Pakistan went against each other for the first Test in Multan, fans knew it would definitely be a high scorer. Winning the toss, Pakistan thought it to be fruitful to send England to bowl first, and this decision came out in the team’s favour.

With centuries from Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, and Salman Agha, Pakistan batted for almost two days and scored 556 runs. Shan Masood scored 151 runs in 177 balls, as Jack Leach took 3 wickets for England. Just when Pakistan thought they had the upper hand, England came down to bat in the second innings for a thriller.

Followed by a good start, England stood at the score of 249 for 3 when Duckett lost his wicket. Then came Harry Brook, and with the contribution of Joe Root, the pair scored 454 runs for the 5th wicket. Joe Root smashed 262 runs, while Harry Brook finished with 317 runs off 322 balls, allowing England to declare at the score of 823 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

In the third innings, fans saw a dominant form of England bowlers, putting Pakistan 6 down for the score of 82. However, Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal scored half-centuries to help the team close to ending England’s lead. That surely became impossible when Agha lost his wicket, after which Pakistan lost the game by an innings and 47 runs.

New Zealand Tour of Sri Lanka 2024; 2nd Test

The New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka is said to have changed a lot of things in the WTC cycle, as the Kiwis went against Sri Lanka before their series against India. After winning the first Test, Sri Lanka also decided to bat in the second match, which was being played at Galle. Pathum Nissanka (1 off 3) and Dimuth Karunaratne (46 off 109) got out early for the team but then came a storm.

Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews had a well-set partnership, as Chandimal scored 116 runs off 208 balls and Mathews scored 88 runs off 185 balls. But this was not enough, as Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis continued the onslaught against the New Zealand bowlers, after which Sri Lanka declared at the score of 602. Kamindu scored a magnificent 182, while two other batsmen scored centuries.

The Kiwis faced a tough time with the bat, as they got all out at the score of 88 against Sri Lanka in the second innings. Prabath Jayasuriya took 6 wickets and conceded 42 runs, as New Zealand was given a follow-on. In the third innings, the team showcased a fight against the Lankan bowlers, but it was not enough to help them win.

Devon Conway, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner scored half-centuries for the team, but New Zealand got out at the score of 360. This time it was Nishan Peiris, who took 6 wickets for Sri Lanka, as the team won the match by an innings and 154 runs.

West Indies Tour of Australia 2024; 2nd Test

After winning the first Test match, Australia faced the West Indies at the Gabba, which is also their favourite ground. West Indies were sent to bat first in this game but didn’t have a good start. The team stood down at the score of 64 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, when Kavem Hodge and Joshua de Silva decided to give a stable partnership. With their half-centuries, the team finished with a score of 311. Starc dominated with the ball, taking 4 wickets for the team.

In response, the West Indies bowlers also performed well against Australia in the second innings. Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey scored half-centuries, while the captain, Cummins, also joined the party. With Cummins scoring 64, Australia declared at the score of 289/9, as Alzarri Joseph shone for West Indies with 4 wickets.

Coming out for the third innings, the Caribbean team didn’t have a good time, as they got all out at the score of 193 runs. Kirk McKenzie was the top scorer with 41 runs, as Hazlewood and Lyon took 3 wickets each. The innings also had a dramatic ending, as Shamar Joseph got his toe injured against Starc’s unplayable yorker.

Australia had the target of 216, and it looked easy to chase when the team stood at the score of 113 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. That’s when Shamar Joseph came in with the bowl and took the wickets of Cameron Green and Travis Head consecutively. He continued his dominance and took 5 more wickets to finish the match with the figures of 7/68. West Indies won the match by just 8 runs, but the spell of Shamar Joseph can never be forgotten by the fans.

That’s all for the first part of this series, as the second part surely will be filled with the other exciting games, which shaped the WTC final.