World Test Championship final pushed back by eight days

Bengaluru, January 26: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to push back the start of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final by eight days.

The WTC final will now begin at Lord's on 18 June, keeping in mind the proximity with the next Indian Premier League's (IPL) summit showdown.

The final of the inaugural WTC was tentatively scheduled to begin on 10 June at the iconic venue in London.

However, since the IPL final is also expected to be played around the same dates, it could have complicated the quarantine schedule of the participating players.

India top WTC table after series win, climb to 2nd spot in ICC Test rankings

"The WTC final will now be played from June 18-22 and June 23 will be the reserve day. As background we pushed it back to allow for any quarantine that may be imposed, particularly given the close proximity to the end of the IPL and the original dates) so driven by quarantine," a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source told PTI news agency.

The IPL schedule has not been finalised as yet but it is expected to conclude towards the end the May.

There is a close fight between India, Australia and New Zealand to compete for the title. India are leading the table with 430 points (PCT 71.7), followed by New Zealand (420, PCT 70) and Australia (332, PCT 69.2).

India recently jumped to the top of the table, following their 2-1 win in the four-match series in Australia.

India's upcoming four-match home series against England is part of the WTC.