The International Cricket Council (ICC) has this week confirmed earlier reports that the World Test Championship finals will remain with the England and Wales Cricket Board, with a decision on the high-profile Test-format competition being made at the recent ICC Annual Conference in Singapore.

The ICC announced in a news statement following the Annual Conference that the finals, scheduled to take place in the British Isles between 2027 and 2031, will remain there. In 2021, 2023, and earlier this summer in 2025, the first three editions of the finals were held, and the next three editions will also conclude in the nation where this sport originated.

Following a successful track record in hosting recent finals, the ICC World Test Championship Finals for the 2027, 2029, and 2031 editions were awarded to the England and Wales Cricket Board, according to the ICC's press statement, implying that the decision was influenced by the large crowds and support for teams in all three finals, even in the absence of England.

The BCCI's request to host the WTC championship game was denied.

Despite demands from players and commentators on the international scene that the final venue be shared for the sake of fairness and variety, with suggestions for the different pitches in Asia and the southern hemisphere, England still has the right to host the event. Additionally, Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, made the case that the WTC final should be given to the defending champions.

Despite some lingering flaws that are being worked out as the competition increases, the WTC has had a fair amount of success in its formative years. The finals themselves have been a success, with New Zealand and Australia defeating India in the first two finals, respectively, in Southampton and at the Oval, while South Africa put an end to their ICC trophy hoodoo by scoring a famous victory at Lord's this summer. However, the method for getting to the finals has been questioned.

The BCCI had apparently promoted India as a possible host site for the next WTC final, but the ICC chose to stick with the tried and tested method and give the ECB the hosting rights of the final through 2031 due to concerns about a poor crowd in India if India didn't make it to the final as well as ongoing tensions with Pakistan that were already complicating future ICC competitions on the subcontinent.

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