World Test Championship 2025–27: Must-watch non-India Test series include the Ashes, the Crowe–Thorpe Trophy, and the Trans-Tasman Trophy, among others.
The fourth edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) for the 2025-27 season has started with a bang. The recent England vs India series proved to be a humdinger with three of the five games going to the wire.
This series proved to be a great spectacle for Test cricket and hopefully there is a lot in store in this two-year Test cycle.
Here in this article, we will list down the marquee Test series that don’t feature India in the WTC 2025-27 cycle.
Ashes 2025/26
Arguably, the most anticipated of this WTC cycle, the former WTC Champions Australia, will host England in the Ashes later this year. The five-match Test series will commence at the Perth Stadium on 21 November and conclude with the New Year Test at Sydney.
The Aussies will be the odds-on favorites to retain the Ashes, given their form in recent times and the dismal record of the England team in the country.
In the last 15 Tests they played in Australia, England have lost 13 matches and won none. Their last win down under came in Sydney in 2011 during their famous 3-1 series triumph in the 2010/11 Ashes.
Although Australia are heavily favored at home, the team’s rich history will make it a compelling watch for a Test match lover.
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Crowe-Thorpe Trophy June 2026
New Zealand will travel to England for a three-match Test series in the middle of 2026. Christened as the Crowe-Thorpe trophy, this set of Test matches could have a great impact on the ongoing WTC cycle. Both these sides are strong contenders to reach the final, and a lot will depend on the outcome of this series.
It has been evenly poised in the last two instances where New Zealand toured the country. While the Kiwis registered their second Test series win in the 2021 tour, the hosts inflicted a 3-0 whitewash in 2022. Post that England won three out of the five Test matches they played in New Zealand.
So this Test series is going to be an exciting and blockbuster start to the English home season.
Australia tour of South Africa Sep 2026
Another high-profile series of this WTC cycle is going to be between the two WTC 2025 edition finalists, South Africa and Australia. The current champions, South Africa, will host this three-match series, and Australia is touring for the first time since 2018.
In that infamous tour, the Proteas humbled the Aussies 3-1, and in the return tour held in Australia (2022/23), Australia won it convincingly by a 2-0 margin. Most recently, these sides played in the 2025 WTC final, where South Africa emerged victorious by 5 wickets.
With both sides being in very good form off late in Tests, this series is set to go down to the wire, and there is a chance they might take on each other in the final of the ongoing WTC cycle.
Read More: WTC 25 Final, SA vs AUS, Day 4: SA create history, win first ICC title in 27 years
Trans-Tasman trophy, Dec 2026
For the first time in a long while, New Zealand will play more than three Tests in a series when they travel to Australia in late 2026. In the 34 Tests that the Kiwis played in this country, they won only three games, and have lost their last four Tests on the bounce down under.
The Aussies will once again start as favorites to retain the Trans-Tasman trophy, and it will prove to be challenging for New Zealand to overcome a strong Australian Test team.
Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, Dec 2026
Around the same time, the African continent will also host a three-match Test series between South Africa and England. It will be a great sight to see all four top Test sides (SENA) all play a Test match on the 2026 Boxing Day.
England are a rare Test side which have found success in South Africa, a country where the visitors don’t have a good record. In their last two trips to the Rainbow Nation in 2016 and 2020, England have won 2-1 & 3-1 respectively. But this time, it will be a different ball game altogether as South Africa are playing some good cricket in Tests, in recent times.
Read More: Could Joe Root topple Sachin Tendulkar’s record in Tests?
Other notable series in the WTC 2025-27 cycle
South Africa tour of Pakistan 2025
For the fifth time in Tests, South Africa are set to tour Pakistan, and they played nine matches in the format there, winning two of them and losing three. Though Pakistan defeated them 2-0 in the 2021 series, South Africa will provide a much tougher challenge this time around.
England vs Pakistan, Aug 2026
One of the Asian sides that have a better Test record in England are Pakistan, as they have won 12 Tests, including a couple of series wins. However, Pakistan have not been a good touring side off late, which makes England overwhelming favorites to clinch the series.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Nov 2026
Any game in any given format between the two Asian sides will be great, and this two-match series will be no different. These sides have played 59 Tests against each other and Pakistan have a slight upper hand, winning 23 as opposed to 17 by the Lankan lions.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka, Feb 2027
The only Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa is Sri Lanka, and they will once again tour the country in the climax of this cycle. Who knows, this series could be crucial in determining which of the two sides will meet in the final of the WTC cycle.
Pakistan vs New Zealand, March 2027
The last series of this WTC cycle will see New Zealand touring Pakistan, and this should be a closely fought series. In the 2022/23 tour, both these sides settled for a draw after a thrilling second Test that went to the wire.
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