The ICC revealed its initial phase that will begin with Australia's Ashes campaign in the UK in July next year. However, the Test Championship won't include Zimbabwe or recent Test debutants - Ireland and Afghanistan. 

The rest of the nine nations will collect points under a yet-to-be-finalised methodology from each Test they play until mid-2021 after which the two top-ranked teams will play-off for the Championship title at a venue, rumoured to be the Lord’s cricket ground, to be announced.

In other news, Australia are set to take on Test debutants Afghanistan in a one-off Test match prior to India’s four-Test tour in the summer of 2020-21. The Australians will also play host to New Zealand over the Christmas-New Year period of 2019-20, which will be the Kiwis’ first Boxing Day Test appearance in Melbourne since 1987. The Five-match Test Ashes series will be preserved under the new Championship structure, with Australia to tour the UK in 2019 and England to travel the other way in 2021-22.