WTC Final: Highest Run-getter, Wicket-taker of World Test Championship During 2021-23 Cycle

World Test Championship Final 2023: Team India is set to make their second successive appearance in the ICC World Test Championship WTC final. In the biggest red-ball clash of the year, India will need to overcome mightly Australia to establish their superiority in the longest format. The WTC final will begin on June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London. In the first WTC final, which was held in 2021, New Zealand outclassed India, winning the match by 8 wickets.

Prior to the start of the WTC cycle 2019-21, a ranking system was used to decide the World Test Championship winner between the period of 2003 and 2019. The top-ranked team receives the Test championship mace and a monetary award on April 1 of each year. Australia has been the top-ranked side on the ICC cut-off date as many as eight times, while India finished at the top of the rankings five times.

Since the league format was introduced, this is the first time Australia have got the opportunity to play the WTC final. During the 2021-23 WTC cycle, Australia finished at the top of the rankings with 152 points, while India secured the second spot with 127 points. With the big day inching closer, let’s take a look at the top performers of the 2021-23 WTC cycle:

Top run-scorer

Even though England could not book a ticket to the WTC final, the name of their star opener Joe Root is on the top of the run-scorers list. The 32-year-old batter has appeared in 22 Tests during the 2021-23 cycle, aggregating 1915 runs at a batting average of 53.19. Among the two finalists, Australia and India, Marnus Labuschagne has stuck the most runs as the Aussie batter has scored 1509 runs in 19 Tests.

Top wicket-taker

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon was the highest wicket-taker of the 2021-23 WTC cycle. The 35-year-old has picked up 83 wickets in his 19 Test appearances. From India, Ravichandran Ashwin occupies third place in the tally, fetching 61 scalps in 13 matches.

Highest individual score

New Zealand batter Tom Latham holds the record for the highest individual score of the 2021-23 WTC cycle. In January last year, the Kiwis hosted Bangladesh for a Test series. In the second game, Latham played an exceptional knock of 252 runs. During his 353-ball innings, the opener struck 34 boundaries and 2 sixes.

Most centuries

England opener Joe Root has smashed the most number of centuries during this period. He has notched up 8 hundred-plus scores in 22 Tests with his best score being 180. Australian batter Usman Khawaja is third on the list and has registered 6 centuries in 16 games.

Best bowling figure

Indian spinner Axar Patel is leading the list of the best bowling figure. In a home assignment against New Zealand, Patel showed off his mystic bowling and folded up with 14 wickets comprising both innings. Thanks to his dominant show, India could win the Test by a huge margin of 372 runs.