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International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the playing conditions for the ICC World Test Championship Final featuring Virat Kohli-led India and Kane Williamson-led New Zealand at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton next month.

The playing conditions confirm that a draw or a tie will see both teams crowned as joint winners as well as the allocation of a Reserve Day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the Final – scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June, with 23 June set aside as the Reserve Day. Both of these decisions were made in June 2018, prior to the commencement of the ICC World Test Championship.

International Cricket Council - AFP File Photo — International Cricket Council – AFP File Photo

International Cricket Council Announces Reserve Day For Playing Time Loss

The Reserve Day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. There will be no additional day’s play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario.

Skippers Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson having a chat. Image: AP

In the event of time being lost during the match, the International Cricket Council Match Referee will regularly update the teams and media about the way in which the Reserve Day may be used. The final decision on whether the Reserve Day needs to be used will be announced at the scheduled start of the last hour on the fifth day. The match will be played using Grade 1 Dukes cricket balls.

International Cricket Council Announces Rules Regarding Playing Conditions For International Games Too

The final will also see the implementation of the following changes to international playing conditions that came into effect with the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Short Runs – The Third Umpire will automatically review any call of a ‘short run’ by the On-field Umpire and communicate the decision to the On-field Umpire prior to the next ball being bowled.

The WTC final will be played from June 18 to 22, with a reserve day in place only to make up for lost time in the first five days AFP/Getty Images — The WTC final will be played from June 18 to 22, with a reserve day in place only to make up for the lost time in the first five days AFP/Getty Images

Player Reviews – The fielding captain or the dismissed batsman may confirm with the Umpire whether a genuine attempt has been made to play the ball prior to deciding whether to initiate a player review for LBW.

DRS Reviews – For LBW reviews, the height margin of the Wicket Zone has been lifted to the top of the stumps to ensure the same Umpire’s Call margin around the stumps for both height and width.

India and New Zealand will be crowned joint winners of the inaugural World Test Championship in case the final ends in a draw or a tie, the International Cricket Council confirmed on Friday. And while there is a reserve day, it will come into play only if time lost during the five regular days – June 18 to 22 – is not made up on those days. The International Cricket Council has also announced that the match will be played using Grade 1 Duke balls.

While the original draft of the playing conditions for the inaugural cycle of the WTC (2019-21) had been laid out in 2018 itself, on May 17 that year, the International Cricket Council has now updated it for the final. On Friday, the ICC reiterated that the reserve day will only be a contingency measure and would not be used to get to a result in case the “five full days of play” are not enough to separate the two teams.