2021 to 2025: Check full list of ICC WTC winners and final match summaries

Indian cricket team is the only side to play the WTC final twice without winning the title

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The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 came to a conclusion on Saturday, June 14, with the Temba Bavuma-led South Africa winning their first WTC mace and first ICC trophy in 27 years. Despite leading the game for almost two and a half days, the Pat Cummins-led Australia failed to retain their title, as masterclass innings from Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma handed South Africa a historic win.

 

But how does the updated full winners list of the ICC WTC tournament look after the end of the third edition? And how did each final pan out? Take a look.

 

ICC WTC: Full list of winners 

Edition	Winner	Runner-up	Venue	Margin of Win
2021	New Zealand	India	Southampton	8 wickets
2023	Australia	India	The Oval	209 runs
2025	South Africa	Australia	Lord’s, London	5 wickets

 

ICC WTC: Every final summary 

ICC WTC 2021 Final: New Zealand vs India 

The inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final was held at The Rose Bowl in Southampton from June 18 to 23, 2021. Rain interruptions pushed the game into the reserve day, but that didn’t stop New Zealand from making history. India batted first and posted 217 in the first innings, followed by 170 in the second. New Zealand’s bowling attack, led by Kyle Jamieson—who took seven wickets in the match—kept the Indian batsmen in check throughout.

 

Chasing a target of 139, New Zealand lost a couple of early wickets but were steadied by captain Kane Williamson (52* not out) and veteran Ross Taylor (47* not out), who guided their team to an eight-wicket victory. Jamieson’s double dismissal of Virat Kohli was a highlight of the match, earning him the Player of the Match award. New Zealand lifted the first-ever WTC mace, etching their name in Test history. 

 

ICC WTC 2023 Final: Australia vs India 

Australia faced India in the second edition of the WTC Final at The Oval in London from June 7 to 11, 2023. Australia dominated from Day 1, posting a formidable 469 in their first innings. Travis Head played a sensational counter-attacking knock of 163, supported by Steve Smith’s elegant 121, setting the tone for the match.

 

India’s response was underwhelming. Despite Ajinkya Rahane’s fighting 89, they managed only 296, conceding a significant first-innings lead. In their second innings, Australia declared at 270/8, setting India an imposing target of 444. The Indian batting line-up once again faltered, getting bowled out for 234. Pat Cummins led the bowling attack with precision, and Australia secured a dominant 209-run win. Travis Head was named Player of the Match for his match-defining century.

 

ICC WTC 2025 Final: South Africa vs Australia 

The 2025 ICC WTC Final between South Africa and Australia took place at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, from June 11 to June 14, and it took only four days for South Africa to end Australia’s reign as Test champions and secure their first ICC trophy since winning the ICC KnockOut Trophy (now Champions Trophy) in 1998.

 

In the match, South Africa opted to bowl first and put on a clinical show to bundle out Australia for just 212 in the first innings, thanks to Kagiso Rabada’s brilliant 5 for 51 spell. Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) were the two standout batters for the defending champions. In reply, Australia packed up the entire South African first innings for just 138, thanks to skipper Pat Cummins’s spell of 6 for 28, giving the Aussies a 74-run first-innings lead.

 

South Africa continued to fight back with the ball, reducing Australia to 73 for 7 at one point in the second innings. However, Mitchell Starc (58* not out) and Alex Carey (43) led a lower-order resistance, taking the final score to 207 and setting South Africa a challenging target of 282 to win the match.

 

In reply, with a daunting chase ahead, South Africa lost two quick wickets. But then Aiden Markram (136 not out) and skipper Temba Bavuma (66 not out) played historic innings and stitched together a match-winning partnership to help the Proteas record the joint second-highest successful fourth-innings chase at Lord’s. They went on to win the match and lift the ICC WTC 2025 mace.