WTC 2: Kohli, Williamson, Root react after ICC confirms fixtures and point system

After successful completion of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC), the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday,  announced the new fixtures and point system for the  WTC cycle for the year 2021-23. The new WTC cycle will kick off with a five-match Test series between England and India on August 04.

The ICC has modified few rules with regards to the points system and now, each match of any series will be contested with the same number of points - 12 for a win, four for a draw, and six for a tie. 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli, England captain Joe Root and WTC winning captain Kane Williamson have reacted to ICC's announcement about the next edition of the World Test Championship.

“It was great to have played the final of the ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand in what was a memorable contest. Not just the final, we saw the determination of players throughout the first edition of the championship.”

“The following of cricket lovers too was great to see, and I am sure they will all be waiting eagerly for the second edition. We will regroup with new energy for the next cycle starting with our series against England, hoping to give our fans a lot to cheer about," said, Kohli, the captain of WTC runner-up India, as quoted by ICC.”

Joe Root looking forward to stern India challenge

England skipper Joe Root is happy with new amendments in the WTC 2 cycle and can’t wait to begin the Test series against India. 

“We start our campaign in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship against the finalists of last time, which is an interesting challenge straight away. India is a fine all-round side and it would be good to test them in our home conditions.”

Kane Williamson eager to defend his title

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he is looking forward to defend his title in the next edition.

“It was obviously pretty special to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton last month and it’s exciting to now look ahead to the second edition.

“The WTC has certainly added more context and brought new meaning to Test cricket and it was awesome to see the interest that was generated around the Final against India. We know trying to defend the title will be a huge challenge, but our focus will be on making sure we prepare as well as we can for the tours ahead and trying to maintain our level of performance,” he said