WTC 2023: Lord's likely to host the Final

The World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final is likely to be hosted at the Lord's cricket ground. Lord's had been informally earmarked as the venue for the first WTC final last summer. But, because of Covid-19, the game was instead played in Southampton at the Ageas Bowl. At the time, the UK was still moving out of restrictions put in place because of the pandemic.

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Southampton hosted international cricket in the summer of 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The venue was seen as the ideal venue logistically to keep players in a bio-secure bubble because of its on-site hotel. New Zealand beat India in the final to become the inaugural world Test champions.

But as restrictions have ended in the UK and bio-secure bubbles have been eased out, the ICC is hoping once again to stage the final at Lord's.

"I think it is scheduled for Lord's, that was always the intention," ICC chairperson Greg Barclay said on BBC's Test Match Special at tea on the second day of the first Test between England and New Zealand, at Lord's.

"It's June so that rules out a number of other venues. We have 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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England is likely to host a one-off Test against a yet-to-be finalized opponent next summer before then hosting the Ashes. That would seem to increase the chances of Lord's hosting the world final.