The 关键字2International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a record prize pool of USD $5.76 million for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 Final, with Australia and South Africa set to compete for the title at Lord’s next month.

The winner of the “Ultimate Test” will receive a staggering USD $3.6 million — more than double the USD $1.6 million awarded to India in 2021 and Australia in 2023.

The runner-up will take home USD $2.16 million, up from USD $800,000 in previous editions.

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To mark the 30-day countdown, the ICC launched a promotional video featuring stars from both teams, including South Africa’s Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram, and Australia’s Steve Smith and Travis Head.

The video also showcased legends such as Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Matthew Hayden, Mel Jones, Nasser Hussain, Shoaib Akhtar, and Ravi Shastri.

South Africa secured their first WTC Final appearance after topping the points table with series victories over Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, as well as a drawn series with India.

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Australia booked their spot with a 3-1 win over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, alongside a clean sweep of Pakistan at home and away series wins in New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

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ICC Chairman Jay Shah praised the competitiveness of the third WTC cycle, noting that finalists were only confirmed late in the schedule.

“We have witnessed a very interesting third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship... culminating in a final between these two exceptional squads — a true celebration of cricket,” Shah said.

It's exciting to announce that the winner of the #WTC25 Final between South Africa and Australia will earn $3.6M, with the runner-up to receive $2.1M. The increase in prize money exhibits our efforts to prioritize Test cricket and build on momentum from previous WTC cycles. @ICC pic.twitter.com/GMgWxM7GSb

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) May 15, 2025

The match holds particular significance: South Africa are bidding for their first-ever ICC trophy, while Australia could become the first team to win the WTC title twice.

Set to be held at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground, the final is expected to draw global attention as two powerhouse teams go head-to-head in the longest format of the game.