Following their resounding 209-run victory over India in the final at The Oval, Australia begins their quest to defend their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title in a highly anticipated series against England. The Ashes series, consisting of five matches, kicks off in Birmingham on Friday and will continue with matches at Lord’s, Leeds, Manchester, and The Oval.

In the upcoming WTC cycle, Australia is scheduled to play a total of 10 Tests. They will participate in nine away matches, including two-Test series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. At home, they will face formidable opponents such as India (five Tests), Pakistan (three Tests), and the West Indies (two Tests).

England, on the other hand, will be engaged in a total of 21 Tests throughout the cycle, with 10 matches at home and 11 away. They will host the West Indies (3 Tests), Sri Lanka (2 Tests), and of course, Australia. Their away fixtures will take them to India (five Tests), Pakistan (3 Tests), and New Zealand (3 Tests).

Additionally, India’s two-Test tour of the West Indies, which is scheduled to take place in Dominica and Trinidad next month, will also be counted as part of the third edition of the WTC.

In the upcoming cycle, Bangladesh will have the opportunity to host New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, while facing challenging away series against India, the West Indies, and Pakistan.

The structure of the nine-team WTC remains unchanged, with each team playing three home and three away series over a span of two years. The final will be a one-off Test match. The leaderboard will be determined by the points percentage system utilized in the previous edition, awarding teams 12 points for a win, six points for a tie, and four points for a draw.

The series included in the championship align with the Men’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) announced last year. For further information, the media release distributed during the unveiling of the Men’s FTP is available.