WTC final: How much is the World Test Championship prize money?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the prize money for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC).
The winner will receive a whopping US $1.6 million (INR 11.71 crores), while the runner-up will get $800,000 (INR 5.85 crores). The prize money will be split between the teams in case of a draw.
India and New Zealand will go head to head for the World Test Championship silverware from June 18-22 in Southampton to bring the two-year-long tournament to a close. June 23 is kept as a reserve day to make up for any lost time due to weather or over-rate issues.
Virat Kohli's side finished first in the points table by securing 12 wins from 17 Tests. Kane Williamson and Co. closely followed them with seven wins from their 11 games.
New Zealand, now ranked the best Test side in the world, is coming off a highly impressive showing against England. The Indians, on the other hand, are engaged in an exciting intra-squad match simulation to prepare for the high-stakes encounter.
The World Test Championship prize money falls well short of other major ICC competitions. For instance, England, the 2019 World Cup champions, pocketed $4 million (INR 29.2 crore) while runners-up New Zealand took home half that amount.
The losing semi-finalists India and Australia received $800,000 (INR 5.85 crores) each.
The World Test Championship prize money is identical to the amount received by West Indies for winning the 2016 World T20. The runners-up England similarly cashed in $800,000 for the tournament.
Among the major T20 leagues, the opulent IPL has set a reward of $3 million (INR 21.97 crore) and $1.8 million (INR 13.18 crore) for the winners and runners-up respectively.
World Test Championship Trophy images
The ICC hasn't released a new trophy for the World Test Championship. Instead, the famous Test mace, previously given to the top-ranked side in the Test rankings after each cycle, is kept as the reward for the tournament.
Here are some photos and glimpses of the same: