ICC Changes World Test Championship Rules; Team India Lost 1st Position: Check Reason Why 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced changes to the ICC World Test Championship points system that was amended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the new changes, Australia claimed the top position while India came to the second. 

The Board which is headed by Anil Kumble approved a recommendation from the ICC Cricket Committee to change the competition terms for the event. These changes will determine how series are affected by the global pandemic and are accounted for on the points table.

“The unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19 means, to date, just under half of the World Test Championship matches have been played, with that estimated to rise to more than 85 percent by the end of the competition window,” ICC said in a statement released.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) further stated that teams will be ranked based on the percentage of points earned from completed matches to determine the finalists of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) next year.

Meanwhile, the governing body also decided to shift the women’s Twenty20 World Cup, originally scheduled for 2022 in South Africa, to 2023. Following the change in WTC rule, allowed Australia (82.22 percent) to leapfrog India (75 percent) to the top of the standings even though Virat Kohli’s men had accumulated more points.

After that comes, England (60.83 percent) who are at third position, followed by New Zealand (50 percent). The ICC board also decided against extending the WTC cycle to allow teams complete their quota of matches, as per Indian Express. 

Looking into the Championship played - world's leading nine Test nations which are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies started last year and was originally planned for 71 matches across 27 series that was played over two years.