1912 World Test Championship

The 1912 World Test Championship was the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship of test cricket. The tournament would feature four teams with the three main test nations at the time (Australia, England, South Africa) being joined by guest nation Ireland who had defeated Scotland in the 1910 match.

Background
The idea of a competition involving all three of the nations then playing Test cricket (Australia, England and South Africa) was proposed at the first meeting of the Imperial Cricket Council in July, 1909. The proposal was for a tournament to be held every four years, with the first hosted by England in 1912. During the 1911–12 Ashes series though, Ireland was brought up to be a fourth team to compete in the tournament with some rumors being that the Irish would host the South Africans later that year for a match during the tournament and with them being as part of the schedule.

Before the tournament started, their was some dispute in the Australian camp with the big six players at the time threatening to withdraw from the tour unless their preferred tour manager of Frank Laver was chosen. This discussion would than lead to a comprise with Frank being chosen but the next tour would not have that same luxury. The other three teams didn't have an issue leading up to the matches.