2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket. It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, So ...
, the inaugural
ICC World Test Championship
The ICC World Test Championship is a league competition for Test cricket run by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which started on 1 August 2019. It is intended to be the premier championship for Test cricket. It is in line with the ...
, was played from 18 to 23 June 2021 at the Rose Bowl,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, England, between
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It was initially scheduled for five days, but time lost during the game to rain interruptions meant that the planned reserve day was used. New Zealand won the match by eight wickets to be crowned as the winners of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand won the ICC Test Championship mace for the first time, and were also awarded the cash prize of US$1.6 million, while India won US$800,000.
It was New Zealand's second major ICC trophy win after emerging victorious at the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, and Kane Williamson became the second New Zealand captain after
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming (born 1 April 1973) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, who is the current head coach of Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. He is considered one of the g ...
to win an ICC event. On winning the final, Williamson said it was a "very special occasion and a fantastic feeling". India's captain,
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed batter for Royal Challe ...
, acknowledged that New Zealand were the better team, but also called for a best-of-three series to decide future World Test Championships. New Zealand's
Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson (born 30 December 1994) is a New Zealand cricketer. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in February 2020 against India. In May 2020, New Zealand Cricket awarded him with a central contract, ahead of the ...
was named as the man of the match, after taking seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Background
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
qualified for the final as the top two teams in the league stage of the
2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket. It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, So ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
and multiple series being postponed, the league standings were determined by percentage of points earned. On 2 February 2021, Australia postponed their away series against South Africa, resulting in a guaranteed berth in the final for New Zealand. On 6 March 2021, India also confirmed their berth for the final, after beating England by 3–1 in a home Test series.
The final was initially due to be held at Lord's, but on 10 March 2021 the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
(ICC) confirmed that the game had been moved to Rose Bowl as the ground's on-site hotels made the venue suitable to establish a bubble environment, made necessary by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
had used the ground for some of their international fixtures in 2020. On 8 June 2021, the ICC appointed the match officials for the final, with
Michael Gough
Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...
and
Richard Illingworth
Richard Keith Illingworth (born 23 August 1963) is an English former cricketer, who is currently an umpire. The bulk of his domestic cricketing career occurred with Worcestershire, although he had a spell with Derbyshire, and overseas with Nat ...
named as the on-field umpires. Prior to the final, the Indian team played a four-day intra-squad practice match between Captain
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed batter for Royal Challe ...
XI and Captain
KL Rahul
Kannanur Lokesh Rahul (born 18 April 1992) is an Indian international cricketer who currently is the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team in test cricket. He is a Right-handed batter and occasional wicketkeeper. He plays for Karnataka in ...
XI at the Rose Bowl. Indian cricketers had not played in any matches since the suspension of the
2021 Indian Premier League
The 2021 Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 14, or for sponsorship reasons, Vivo IPL 2021, was the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cric ...
on 4 May 2021. In contrast, the New Zealand team had played a two match Test series against England in the first two weeks of June.
If the match was either a
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
or ended in a tie, both teams would have been declared as joint winners, sharing the trophy. On 14 June 2021, the ICC confirmed the prize money for the final: the winning team would receive US$1.6 million along with ICC Test Championship Mace, the losing team US$800,000, and the two teams would share US$2.4 million in the event of a draw.
Road to the final
Route to the final
Squads
On 15 June 2021, New Zealand confirmed their squad of 15 players for the match.
Doug Bracewell
Douglas Andrew John Bracewell (born 28 September 1990) is an international New Zealand cricketer who currently plays for Central Districts. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm fast-medium pace. He is the son of former Test cricket ...
,
Jacob Duffy
Jacob Duffy (born 2 August 1994) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Otago. Duffy made his senior debut in an HRV Cup match against Northern Districts in January 2012. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in Dece ...
Rachin Ravindra
Rachin Ravindra (born 18 November 1999) is a New Zealand international cricketer. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in September 2021.
In December 2023, Rachin was signed by the Chennai Super Kings in the player ...
and
Mitchell Santner
Mitchell Josef Santner (born 5 February 1992) is a New Zealand international cricketer who plays all forms of the game. Domestically, he plays for Northern Districts cricket team. He is a bowling all-rounder who bats left-handed, and bowls slow ...
, who were all part of New Zealand's initial squad for the match, were not included in the final 15. On the same day India named their squad of 15 players for the match.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Anurag Agarwal (born 16 February 1991) ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2012-02-01. is an Indian in ...
Axar Patel
Axar Rajeshbhai Patel, also spelled as Akshar Patel, (born 20 January 1994) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game as a bowling All-rounder. He also plays for Gujarat in domestic cr ...
,
KL Rahul
Kannanur Lokesh Rahul (born 18 April 1992) is an Indian international cricketer who currently is the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team in test cricket. He is a Right-handed batter and occasional wicketkeeper. He plays for Karnataka in ...
,
Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar (born 5 October 1999) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team. He also plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. He is a left-handed batsm ...
,
Shardul Thakur
Shardul Narendra Thakur (born 16 October 1991) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a bowling all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right arm medium pace.
Domestic career
Thakur was initially criticized for his lack of height for ...
who were all part of their initial squad for the match, were not included in the final 15 member squad.
Match
Match details and scorecard
Summary
Day 1
The first day of play was scheduled to take place on Friday 18 June 2021. As had been forecast, there was heavy rain throughout the day which prevented any play from taking place. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but it had caused the outfield to become waterlogged and the umpires decided to cancel the day's play at 3pm BST. The loss of six hours ensured that the game would continue to the sixth and reserve day on Wednesday 23 June.
Day 2
The weather was dry at the start of the second day, and with no rain forecast, play began on time at 10:30am. New Zealand won the toss and elected to
field
Field may refer to:
Expanses of open ground
* Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes
* Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport
* Battlefield
* Lawn, an area of mowed grass
* Meadow, a grass ...
first, putting India in to
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
. Captain Kane Williamson said that his decision was due to the cool weather, although he said that he expected a consistent wicket throughout the game. India's opening batsmen,
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Gurunath Sharma (born 30 April 1987) is an Indian international cricketer and the current captain of the Indian cricket team. Widely considered as one of the best opening batter of all time, he plays as a right-handed batsman for Mu ...
and Shubman Gill, began the match strongly by recording an opening
partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...
of 62 runs. Despite favourable conditions New Zealand's
fast bowlers
Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling (cricket), bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', ...
Tim Southee
Timothy Grant Southee (born 11 December 1988), is a New Zealand international cricketer who plays for New Zealand national cricket team, New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game, captains in Test cricket, Tests and vice captains in ...
and
Trent Boult
Trent Alexander Boult (born 22 July 1989) is a New Zealand international cricketer who has played for New Zealand cricket team. He currently plays in various T20 leagues around the globe as a fast bowler.
He is a left-arm fast-medium bowler an ...
were unable to bowl consistently.
Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson (born 30 December 1994) is a New Zealand cricketer. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in February 2020 against India. In May 2020, New Zealand Cricket awarded him with a central contract, ahead of the ...
started bowling before lunch and took the first wicket of the match, Rohit Sharma edging a ball to third
slip
Slip or SLIP may refer to:
Science and technology Biology
* Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole
* Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting
* Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy
Computing and ...
where it was caught by Southee. Gill then fell too, caught off the bowling of
Neil Wagner
Neil Wagner (born 13 March 1986) is a South African-born New Zealand Test cricketer who plays for New Zealand and Northern Districts cricket teams. He played for Northerns until 2007/08 and Otago between 2008 and 2018.
Early career
Wagner w ...
, to leave India at 69 for two at lunch, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Indian captain
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed batter for Royal Challe ...
the two batsmen.
Pujara and Kohli batted cautiously early in their partnership, both before and after lunch, with Pujara taking 50 minutes and 35 balls to score his first run. He then scored successive fours but was dismissed after 16 more runless balls,
leg before wicket
Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire may rule a batter out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was instead in ...
(lbw) to Boult. The score at that point was 88 for three, with
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane (born 6 June 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of Indian team in all formats, who has played for Indian cricket team in all formats as a batsman. He currently captains Mumbai in Ranji trophy. R ...
joining Kohli at the crease. There were several interruptions for bad light during the afternoon session, first forcing an early tea, and then eventually ending the day's play after only 64.4 overs with India on 146. Kohli and Rahane remained as the not out batsmen overnight, on 44 and 29 runs respectively.
Day 3
The third day was another day of rain showers, and play was delayed slightly, beginning at 11am. Kohli fell in the third over of the day, lbw to Jamieson without adding to his overnight score of 44.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Rajendra Pant (born 4 October 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a wicket-keeper batter. Having played all formats for India, he is best known for his consistency to score runs in Test ...
was dismissed a few overs later, caught by Tom Latham at slip off Jamieson's bowling on only 4 runs. Rahane and new batsman
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja (born 6 December 1988), commonly known as Ravindra Jadeja, is an Indian international cricketer. He is an all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He was the captain of the Chennai Su ...
withstood the New Zealand bowling for a while after this, with Rahane advancing his score to 49. He was then dismissed by Wagner, playing a
hook shot
In basketball, a hook shot is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends ov ...
which was caught at mid wicket. Former Indian player V. V. S. Laxman attributed the wicket to Williamson's captaincy, noting that the captain had set the field differently in successive balls and given Wagner advice regarding Rahane's reputation for being a "compulsive pull shot or hook shot player".
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin () (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a bowling All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-break, he plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cric ...
came to the crease and scored quickly, recording 22 runs from 27 balls and taking India past 200. He lost his wicket shortly afterwards, edging a catch to slip off the bowling of Southee. India were 211 for seven at lunch.
In the third over after lunch, Jamieson took two wickets in two balls, dismissing Ishant Sharma with a ball which was caught at slip, followed by an
inswinger
An inswinger is a type of delivery of the ball in the sport of cricket. In such a delivery the ball curves—or "swings"—in toward the batter's body and the wicket. By contrast, an outswinger swings away from the line of the batter and the wi ...
which dismissed
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah (born 6 December 1993) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team in all formats of the game. In the India's domestic cricket, he plays for Gujarat cricket team and Mumbai Ind ...
for a
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...
. This gave Jamieson the opportunity to take a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
, but he was unsuccessful as the next ball was hit by
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami Ahmed (born 3 September 1990) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team in all formats of the game as a right-arm fast bowler. He plays domestically for Bengal and in the Indian Premier L ...
for four. Nonetheless, Jamieson finished with bowling figures of 5 for 31 from 22 overs, with 12 maiden overs, a performance described by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s Tanya Aldred as "astonishing". Boult dismissed Jadeja for 15 in the first ball of the next over, leaving India all out for 217, a score which Aldred considered "slightly short of par".
Devon Conway
Devon Philip Conway (born 8 July 1991) is a South African born New Zealand cricketer who plays for the New Zealand cricket team. In March 2020, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that Conway would be eligible to play for New Zealan ...
and Tom Latham opened the batting for New Zealand, scoring a partnership of 70 before Latham was caught by Kohli off the bowling of Ashwin. Conway, who batted for a total of three hours during the afternoon, went on to score the game's first half century. India's bowlers were unlucky at times, as New Zealand's batsmen edged several balls from Shami which missed the fielders. India eventually dismissed Conway shortly before the close of play, the batsman making an error in hitting a ball straight to the mid-on fielder off the bowling of fast bowler Ishant Sharma. The umpires then halted play for bad light at around 6:27pm, leaving New Zealand with a score of 101 for two. Williamson and
Ross Taylor
Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor (born 8 March 1984) is a former international cricketer and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Batting predominantly at number four, when he announced his retirement from international cricket at ...
were the New Zealand batsmen at the close of play.
Day 4
The fourth day of the Test was rained out and no play was possible. New Zealand remained at 101 for the loss of two wickets.
Day 5
The start of the fifth day was delayed due to rain with play resuming at around 11:30am BST. Ishant Sharma opened the day's bowling with Williamson and Taylor the batsmen. New Zealand got off to a slow start, inching to 117 for two at the end of the first hour of play. Shami and Ishant Sharma then struck, taking the wickets of Taylor,
BJ Watling
Bradley-John Watling (born 9 July 1985), known as BJ Watling, is a South African-born former New Zealand international cricketer who has represented Northern Districts since December 2004. He made his Test debut in December 2009 and eight month ...
, and Henry Nicholls in the morning session and leaving New Zealand with a score of 135 for five at lunch.
Williamson and new batsman
Colin de Grandhomme
Colin de Grandhomme (born 22 July 1986) is a former Zimbabwean-born New Zealand international cricketer.
Early, domestic and T20 career
Born in Harare, de Grandhomme, who attended St. George's College, Harare, began his career by playing for ...
worked to stabilise the New Zealand innings after lunch, advancing the score to 152 runs by the 80th over when India took the new ball. Shami got the first breakthrough of the afternoon session by dismissing De Grandhomme for 13 runs, lbw off a good length delivery. The Indian fast bowlers attempted to keep the pressure on, but New Zealand's tailenders were able to add an additional 82 runs before the team were all out for 249. Captain Williamson fell just short of a fifty, scoring 49 runs before being caught at second slip by Kohli off the bowling of Sharma.
India started their second innings trailing New Zealand by 32 runs with Rohit Sharma and Gill once again opening the innings. Gill was the first to fall, to Southee, being dismissed lbw for a score of 8 runs with the team at 24 for one, and Rohit Sharma also fell lbw to Southee. India were 64 for two, leading by 32 runs, when play was called off for the day. Pujara and Kohli were the two not out Indian batsmen at the close of play.
Day 6 (Reserve Day)
The sixth day of the Test was the official reserve day, allocated for weather related delays. India started the day on their overnight score of 64 for the loss of two wickets, with captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease. The pair only managed to add seven runs before Kohli was out caught behind by the wicket-keeper Watling off the bowling of Jamieson. Jamieson followed it up with the wicket of Pujara in his next over, caught at first slip, leaving India at 72 for four. Rahane was the next batsman out, caught behind by Watling off the bowling of Boult. Pant and Jadeja took the team to lunch at 98 runs for five.
The post-lunch session saw Jadeja falling to medium-pacer Wagner with Watling securing a catch off a nick on the offside. Pant, the last recognised batsman, attempted to add runs quickly, but he then fell to Boult with Nicholls running in from point and catching the ball over his shoulders. Pant had scored 41, the highest score amongst the Indian batsman, and the team was at 157 for seven at that stage. This left the Indian tailenders batting, and they advanced the score to 170 before the team were all out.
New Zealand started off with openers Latham and Conway, chasing a target of 139. The openers scored 33 runs but both were then dismissed by
spinner Technology
*Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller
* Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells
* Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI
* Spinner (MIT Med ...
Ashwin, leaving New Zealand at 44 for two. ''The Guardians Adam Collins noted that New Zealand had appeared to be heading for an easy victory, but the second wicket prompted him to write "game very much on" in his commentary. Williamson was joined by Taylor, and India then bowled four maiden overs in a row with the score on 46 for two, with New Zealand still needing 93 more runs to win from 31 overs. They began to score more freely again from the 23rd over, however, and Williamson and Taylor remained at the crease for the remainder of the innings as New Zealand advanced to 140 for two in the 46th over, winning the match by eight wickets. Williamson scored a half-century of 52, and Taylor scored 47, ensuring that the New Zealand team comfortably achieved the target, and won the Test match. It was Kohli's third defeat as the captain of India in knockouts and finals of ICC tournaments.
;India 1st innings
Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Rohit, 20.1 ov), 2-63 (Gill, 24.3 ov), 3-88 (Pujara, 40.2 ov), 4-149 (Kohli, 67.4 ov), 5-156 (Pant, 73.4 ov), 6-182 (Rahane, 78.4 ov), 7-205 (Ashwin, 85.5 ov), 8-213 (Ishant, 91.4 ov), 9-213 (Bumrah, 91.5 ov), 10-217 (Jadeja, 92.1 ov)
;New Zealand 1st innings
Fall of wickets: 1-70 (Latham, 34.2 ov), 2-101 (Conway, 48.4 ov), 3-117 (Taylor, 63.1 ov), 4-134 (Nicholls, 69.3 ov), 5-135 (Watling, 70.2 ov), 6-162 (de Grandhomme, 82.1 ov), 7-192 (Jamieson, 86.6 ov), 8-221 (Williamson, 93.6 ov), 9-234 (Wagner, 96.3 ov), 10-249 (Southee, 99.2 ov)
;India 2nd innings
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Gill, 10.4 ov), 2-51 (Rohit, 26.5 ov), 3-71 (Kohli, 35.5 ov), 4-72 (Pujara, 37.3 ov), 5-109 (Rahane, 49.6 ov), 6-142 (Jadeja, 62.5 ov), 7-156 (Pant, 69.2 ov), 8-156 (Ashwin, 69.4 ov), 9-170 (Shami, 72.2 ov), 10-170 (Bumrah, 72.6 ov)
;New Zealand 2nd innings
Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Latham, 13.3 ov), 2-44 (Conway, 17.2 ov)
Post-match and Mace tour
The match marked the last international appearance for New Zealand's
BJ Watling
Bradley-John Watling (born 9 July 1985), known as BJ Watling, is a South African-born former New Zealand international cricketer who has represented Northern Districts since December 2004. He made his Test debut in December 2009 and eight month ...
. In May 2021, Watling had announced that he would retire after the World Test Championship final. Watling had also dislocated his ring finger during the first session of the final day of the match when he attempted to collect the ball. However, he continued to keep behind the stumps despite the injury.
New Zealand Cricket
New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket operates the New Z ...
arranged a Mace tour, with New Zealand's squad carrying the ICC World Test Championship Mace on a week-long nationwide tour across 10 cities of New Zealand.
Broadcasting
On 15 June 2021, the ICC announced broadcasting and digital distribution plans for the match. Accordingly, the coverage was arranged on television, digital media and radio. Although the ICC did not have an official broadcasting partner for the
2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship
The 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship of Test cricket. It started on 1 August 2019 with the first Test of the 2019 Ashes series, and finished with the Final at the Rose Bowl, So ...
, as well as the final match, deals were made for broadcasting with the leading broadcasters in their respective territories.
These deals included the live TV coverage for
Star Sports Star Sports refers to several current or former Asian sports networks owned by The Walt Disney Company:
* Star Sports (East Asian TV channel)
* Star Sports (Indian TV network)
* Fox Sports (Southeast Asian TV network)
Fox Sports (formerly ESPN ...
in India (broadcast in five Indian regional languages), Sky Sport in New Zealand,
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
in the United Kingdom and especially with multiple options such as
Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar (also known as Hotstar) is an Indian brand of subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Novi Digital Entertainment of Disney Star and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, both d ...
Willow TV
WILLOW (Willow Cricket, Willow Extra and Willow Canada) is an American pay television sports channel which is completely devoted to airing overseas cricket events, including live and recorded matches and other cricket-related programming in En ...
in the United States of America. The match was also streamed on the ICC.tv platform, which was the service made available where the ICC did not have a broadcast partner for the match. The full broadcasting and digital streaming rights in different territories, were as follows:
The ICC also named the following panel of commentators for the final:
*
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...
*
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...
*
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain (born 28 March 1968) is a British cricket commentator and former cricketer who captained the England cricket team between 1999 and 2003, with his overall international career extending from 1990 to 2004. A pugnacious right-ha ...
Isa Guha
Isa Tara Guha (born 21 May 1985) is an English cricket commentator, television and radio cricket broadcaster, and a former England cricketer who played in the 2005 World Cup and the 2009 World Cup.Ian Bishop
*
Michael Atherton
Michael Andrew Atherton (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international first-class cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the ca ...
*
Craig McMillan
Craig Douglas McMillan (born 13 September 1976) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He was a right-handed batsman and useful right-arm medium pace bowler and played for Canterbury in New Zealan ...
*
Dinesh Karthik
Krishnakumar Dinesh Karthik (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian professional cricketer and commentator who nationally plays for the Indian Cricket Team and currently in Indian Premier League playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He is also the ...
Viewership
Following all these live broadcast arrangements, the final match became the most watched across all series played in this 2019–21 edition. Total cumulative global audience of 177 million was recorded, with live television viewership of 130.6 million across 89 countries. India contributed most of the audience with
Star Sports Star Sports refers to several current or former Asian sports networks owned by The Walt Disney Company:
* Star Sports (East Asian TV channel)
* Star Sports (Indian TV network)
* Fox Sports (Southeast Asian TV network)
Fox Sports (formerly ESPN ...
and national broadcaster Doordarshan accounting for 94.6% consumption. ICC's OTT platform ICC.tv resulted in an additional 665,100 live views from over 145 territories outside of the key broadcast markets, while ICC digital and social media platforms reached total views of 515 million across all video content watched during the match window.