DUBAI – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a massive increase in prize money for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
It has released a promotional video featuring several past and present stars as the anticipation builds for The Ultimate Test.
The total prize pool for the WTC 2023-25 Final stands at USD $5.76 million, more than double that of the previous two editions.
The winners of the WTC Final, to be played between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s from 11-15 June, will take home a purse of $3.6 million, more than double of what New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023) earned after winning the previous two finals.
The losing finalists too will earn more than the earlier top prize money, assured of more than $ 2.1 million this time. The winners of the previous two editions won $1.6 million while the losing finalists got $ 800,000.
The increase in prize money exhibits the ICC’s efforts to prioritize Test cricket as it looks to build on the momentum of the first three cycles of the nine-team competition.
The third edition saw South Africa finish on a high with 2-0 home series wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, ending with 69.44 percentage points.
Defending champions Australia finished with 67.54 points while India finished with 50.00 after leading the table for much of the time.
Australian captain Pat Cummins said: “We are enormously proud to have the opportunity to defend the World Test Championship, especially at Lord’s. It’s a testament to all those involved across the past two years who have worked incredibly hard to reach the final, which is a great honour for all of us.
“We very much look forward to getting together again in England in just a few weeks’ time and the challenge South Africa will present at the home of cricket.”
