Soon it will arrive: not just the second Test of the English summer, but the second edition of the World Test Championship final. As Australia and India prepare to play off in London, the match’s place and placement remain strange. It is new enough that people are not sure of its significance, and the supposed pinnacle of a two-year contest takes place only days before the next edition begins with an Ashes series that for many is more anticipated.
For Australia’s team the final is two things. First, reward for a solid two years of qualifying that saw only three losses out of 19, headed by a hard-fought series win across 15 days in Pakistan, as well as a home Ashes thrashing, a shared result in Sri Lanka, and a visit to India that became more credible as it went on. Second, it is essentially a free hit, a first swing at a title that Australia has never contested and has no blueprint on how to approach.
