Explainer | What will happen if World Test Championship finals ends in a draw or tie

With less than a month away from the juggernaut clash between New Zealand and India, several players and cricketing experts have predicted which team will win the inaugural World Test Championship. However, what if the exciting clash ends in a draw or a tie? What if five days are not enough to decide who will be declared champions in the longest format? What if rain interrupts the play and the teams lose valuable time?

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has answered such queries. According to the ICC, if the match ends in a draw or a tie, both teams (India and New Zealand) will be declared joint winners of the coveted championship. ICC also added that a reserve day will be chosen to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the highly-anticipated Finals. 

"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," said a statement from ICC.

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"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," the statement added.

The mega clash between Virat and Co and the BlackCaps will be played between June 18 and 22 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Both teams have duelled with each other, where New Zealand came out as winners. However, Team India, who fought all odds to book their place in the finals, will be looking to redeem themselves from these losses and settle the score.