The ICC has decided that Lord’s will host the 2023 and 2025 World Test Championship finals. The choice was agreed upon during the ICC’s Annual General Meeting, which ended on July 26 in Birmingham.

In the first WTC final, which took place in Southampton in 2021, New Zealand defeated India in six days. That game had been slated at Lord’s as well, but due to Covid-19 limitations in effect at the time, it had to be moved to the Ageas Bowl, Southampton.

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The possibility of Lord‘s hosting both of the finals was originally brought up by ICC chairman Greg Barclay in an earlier season interview with BBC‘s Test Match Special. He had said,” it’s June so that rules out a number of other venues and we’ve got to get certainty around where it’s hosted. We’re out of Covid now so subject to arrangements being made and being able to be hosted out of Lord’s, I think that’s the intention.”

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The WTC is a two-year cycle with nine Full Members (all but Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan). Each nation plays six series, three at home and three away. In current WTC cycle, a number of teams are still vying for a spot in the 2023 final.

The ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, which is led by Ganguly, has also welcomed former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and former India batter VVS Laxman. Laxman and Vettori were added to the committee as current player representatives, and Roger Harper, a former West Indies all-rounder, was selected as a previous player representative.

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ICC said,”Daniel Vettori and VVS Laxman have also been appointed to the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee as current player representatives, while Roger Harper has been appointed as the second past player representative, joining Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena.”