Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship: 1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won. 2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England. Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Answer: D. Neither statement is correct. The ICC WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP (WTC) — first cycle 2019-2021 — was a points-based league competition culminating in a FINAL between the top two teams. The final was held in JUNE 2021 at the AGEAS BOWL, SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND. Statement 1 is WRONG. The finalists were NOT decided by the number of matches won. They were decided by the PERCENTAGE OF POINTS (PCT) won — a system the ICC introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted scheduling. Some teams played fewer matches than others; ranking by absolute wins would have been unfair. The PCT system divided points earned by total points available from matches actually played, giving a comparable percentage. This change was made in NOVEMBER 2020 (the ICC Cricket Committee approved it after some series were cancelled due to COVID-19). India, NZ, England, Australia, Pakistan etc. ended up with different denominators, so PERCENTAGE — NOT TOTAL WINS — drove the ranking. Statement 2 is WRONG. New Zealand finished AHEAD OF ENGLAND (and Australia) but NOT because it won 'more matches'. The final WTC 2019-21 standings (PCT): - INDIA: 72.2% (1st) - NEW ZEALAND: 70.0% (2nd, qualified for final) - AUSTRALIA: 69.2% (3rd) - ENGLAND: 61.4% (4th) England actually played MORE TEST MATCHES than New Zealand during the cycle but its PERCENTAGE was lower (more losses, more draws relative to its larger workload). NZ played fewer matches but won proportionally more — so the PCT advantage went to NZ. So both statements wrongly cite 'number of matches won' as the decisive factor. The correct decisive metric was PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON. NEW ZEALAND ultimately defeated INDIA in the WTC final (June 2021) to win the inaugural ICC WTC title. Source: ICC World Test Championship rules / ICC Test Rankings 2019-2021 cycle / cricketing news archives June 2021.