BD to play 12 matches in new WTC cycle
BSS, Dhaka:
Bangladesh will have a busy time in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which will run from 2025-2027.
The last cycle, what was the third cycle of the WTC, ended yesterday with South Africa emerging champions by removing their tag of ‘Chokers’.
However, Bangladesh finished as seventh in the last cycle, after winning four matches out of 12.
Like the previous cycle, Bangladesh will play 12 matches in this ongoing cycle too, which they will kick start with a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka tomorrow. In fact the fourth cycle of WTC will begin with the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test series.
Out of the 12 matches, Bangladesh will play six matches at home and six at away. At home, they will face off Pakistan, West Indies and England while they will visit Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia in this cycle. And all of the series will be a two-match series.
The last cycle was the most productive for Bangladesh, considering the number of the victories they achieved. In the inaugural Test cycle, which ran from 2019-2021, Bangladesh played seven matches but failed to register any victory.
In the second cycle (2021-2023), Bangladesh secured just one victory in 12
matches.
They will now kick off the cycle in a country, where they have good memories of winning their 100th Test. However, the first Test against Sri Lanka will start from June 17 at Galle while Colombo will host the second and final game, beginning from June 25.
Although Bangladesh have completed almost 25 years in this elite version of cricket, its record is not good. But since the World Test Championship introduced, Bangladesh’s performance have gradually improved. Bangladesh have played 31 Tests in the three cycles-they won five, drawn two and lost 24.
Like the previous three WTC cycles, nine teams are participating this time too. Each team will play six series – three at home and three at their opponents’ ground. There has been no change in the points system (12 points for a win, four for a draw, six points for a tie).
However, this time the number of matches has increased by one compared to the last two times. Including the final, there will be a total of 71 matches, and 27 series. Each series will have a minimum of two and a maximum of five matches.
The final of the fourth cycle has also been proposed to be held at Lord’s in June 2027.
In this cycle, Australia will play the most matches with 22, followed by England with the second most matches with 21. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play the fewest matches with 12, with their series starting this cycle. This is the only Test series for the Bangladesh team in 2025. The remaining five series of Bangladesh are in 2026 and 2027.
Bangladesh will play the second series of this cycle in March 2026, when they host Pakistan. Then the country will then travel to Australia in August of that year and that will be their first Test series on Australian soil after2003.
In this cycle, Bangladesh will play its second series at home in October 2026 when they take on West Indies. They will tour South Africa in November immediately after playing against the West Indies. Bangladesh’s last series will be on home soil when they face off England in February 2027. This will be their first Test series against the English after 2016.
One particular stat, however, will boost Bangladesh psychologically. They are unbeaten in their last series against four of the six teams they will play in the 2025-27 cycle. They drew series against Australia, England and the West Indies and defeated Pakistan (winning the two-match series 2-0). They lost the series to Sri Lanka and the defending champions South Africa.