WTC final: Check out how 'Test Mace' is prepared as Australia and India lock horns to win coveted trophy

The World Test Championship final 2023 is almost here as India and Australia will be locking horns in the summit clash starting Wednesday, June 7 at The Oval in London. The two teams will be battling against each other to win the coveted mace which was won by New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the WTC cycle 2019-21.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a video on its YouTube channel which captures the journey of the silverware being made from virtually nothing to arguably the most majestic ‘work of art’ that exists in international cricket. The maker of the trophy master silversmith, Lee Bull describes it as ‘something different’ due to its unconventional structure. 

Bull further calls the cage at the top of the trophy which surrounds the cricket ball, the most complicated part. The video beautifully captures the makers taking care of all the intricate details of the mace and leaving no stone unturned in designing the glittering silverware.

The Test mace was introduced by ICC in 2003 and was earlier awarded to the teams finishing as number one in the ICC Men's Test team rankings until the start of the World Test Championship in 2019. The trophy is now awarded to the winner of the WTC final at the end of every cycle.

Notably, Australia have won the mace the most number of times so far (9) followed by India who’ve won it seven times. On the other hand, South Africa have won it thrice while England have laid their hands on the silverware once. New Zealand became the first team to win the trophy in 2021 after the introduction of the World Test Championship.

Meanwhile, India and Australia will be eyeing a unique record ahead of the final as both teams have a chance to boast of winning every ICC title by winning the WTC final. Both India and Australia have won the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy and are just one step away from creating history by winning the mace.