The ICC World Test Championship final has been taking place on a hotly contested 4th day in South London between Australia and India. Australia’s lead is nearing the 400-run mark at the end of the first session on day four. All results are still possible at The Oval and it remains possible that the match will end in a draw.
In accordance with Article 16.3.3 of the Conditions of Play for the World Test Championship Finals, if the match ends in a draw, the mace will be shared and the prize money will be split equally between the two finalists. The terms also state that if any player who has played in the Final Test Match leaves the field of play for any reason, he will not be entitled to take further part in the match and will not receive a medal.
There is a make-up day for the final on Monday, but it seems unlikely at this point that the match will advance to day six. Reserve days are built into the terms of play as an emergency measure to make up for lost playing time if play is interrupted by rain or inclement weather, and can be very unpredictable early on in England games.
Given that the weather in London has been surprisingly good so far this summer, there is a small chance of rain showers in London on Sunday afternoon, but the extension of the scheduled end of the match will help make up for a total of one hour of lost time on Sunday. If more than 1 hour of playing time is lost, a reserve day will be triggered and only the time lost due to rain or bad weather will be counted.
Overall, if the World Test Championship ends in a draw, the mace will be shared and the prize money will be split equally between the two finalists. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the match unfolds and whether a reserve day will be triggered.