The ICC’s Annual Conference held in Singapore last week awarded the England and Wales Cricket Board the hosting rights for the next three World Test Championship Finals.
ECB has been hosting the WTC Finals since the start of the series. The first season of the WTC Final took place at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, the second occurred at The Oval in London, and the latest WTC Final happened at Lord’s in London, where South Africa claimed victory over former WTC champions Australia.
From England’s weather to pitch conditions, and citing large crowds and efficient event management, England is a perfect choice and deserves to host all the remaining WTC Finals in the future for a smooth match experience. This was the main reason why the ICC awarded the ECB the rights to host the next three WTC Finals.
Since England is the Home of Cricket, its rich cricket culture provides reliability and consistency, along with a perfect stadium setup and smooth match experience compared to other rotating venues and poorly equipped stadiums.
Women’s Cricket Initiative
The ICC has launched a new support program for displaced Afghan women cricketers, in collaboration with the BCCI, ECB, and CA.
“The programme aims to deliver structured support through high-performance initiatives, domestic playing opportunities, and engagement at key ICC global events, including the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England,” as per the ICC report.
USA Cricket Still On Notice
The ICC also warned USA Cricket to carry out major governance reforms and hold proper elections within three months. “In relation to USA Cricket, the ICC reiterated its previous position and confirmed that the organisation remains on notice. USA Cricket is required to undertake comprehensive governance reforms, including but not limited to completing free and fair elections within a three-month period. The Board, however, reserves the right to take such actions as it deems appropriate,” said the release.
The ICC has added two new members, Timor-Leste Cricket Federation and Zambia Cricket Union, bringing the total to 110 ICC members. Both have joined as Associate Members.
