5 Things ICC Should Change In Next Cycle Of The ICC World Test Championship

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2019-21 is set to witness its climax with the final match between India and New Zealand next month. Both the teams will lock horns at The Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium in Southampton, England on June 18. India and New Zealand qualified for the ICC World Test Championship final after topping the points table. India secured the top rank while New Zealand bagged 2^nd spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table on the basis of percent of points (PCT).

There were 9 teams that were part of the ICC World Test Championship tournament. The tournament commenced in 2019. Many bilateral Test series took place in the ICC World Test Championship tournament during the last two years. India played 17 matches out of which they won 12 and lost 7. One match ended in a draw. India had the highest PCT of 72.2 percent. New Zealand won 7 matches and lost 4 out of the 11 they played. They finished with a PCT of 70.0 percent and secured the 2nd spot in the points table.

This is the first Test Championship tournament conducted by ICC. In the future, more such tournaments will be conducted. To improve the World Test Championship tournament and make it more successful in the future, ICC can consider some changes. Here we talk about 5 things that ICC change in the next cycle of the World Test Championship.

5 Things ICC Should Change In Next Cycle Of The ICC World Test Championship

5. Add More Teams

The ICC World Test Championship witnessed participation by 9 teams. Each team was scheduled to play 6 bilateral Test series during the course of two years. Every nation had to choose opponents for these 6 series by mutual agreements. However, the tournament couldn’t manage to witness every nation playing 6 bilateral series due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For making the tournament more interesting, ICC can add more teams in the next cycle. Zimbabwe was not part of the tournament although it is a Test-playing nation. Moreover, Afghanistan and Ireland are some other countries that have made a debut in Tests and these countries can also be considered to be part of the ICC World Test Championship next time.

4. Add More Neutral Venues

Home conditions give little advantages to a home team. For example, New Zealand hosted India, West Indies, and Pakistan for a Test series during ICC World Test Championship. They managed to win all the 6 matches played during the tournament with the home conditions. However, they lost all the 3 Test matches against Australia during an away series. Similarly, England is a strong side in Test cricket at their home. But they suffered a big loss by 3-1 in the Test series against India at the latter’s home.

Therefore, ICC can add more neutral venues in the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Neutral venues will not give any advantage to any team and make it a balanced encounter. If not all, few series of each team should be played at a neutral venue.

3. Improve Points Distribution System

ICC’s format of distributing points in the World Test Championship was quite debatable. ICC allotted 120 points to each bilateral Test series irrespective of the number of matches in the series. The number of matches divided by 120 will give the exact value for a match. Therefore, if the Test series consisted of 5 matches, a team will get only 24 points for winning one match. On the other hand, if a Test series consisted of only 2 matches, a team will get 60 points by winning just 1 match.

This becomes a disadvantage in long series that consists of 4 or 5 matches. Also, this gives an advantage during short Test series which consists of only 2 matches as winning just 1 game will give 60 points to a team. So ICC needs to improve the points distribution system in the next edition. There should be some different parameters of points distribution during a 2-match Test series and a 4 or 5-match Test series. This will make the tournament fairer and more balanced.

2. Extra Points For Away Series Wins

Like already mentioned, home advantage is a big factor in the Test series. It was visible how New Zealand faced a tough time while facing Australia during an away tour but they managed to outplay India, West Indies, and Pakistan in the home series. Also, England suffered a lot during the away Test series against India.

The touring team has a little disadvantage as they have to adjust to the foreign conditions during an away tour. ICC can introduce a new rule to allot extra points for away series wins. In this way, the visitors will have the chance to earn more points for the series victory in away tour. While the home team will get the benefit of home conditions, the visitors will have the advantage to earn more points. This will make the bilateral series more balanced and impartial.

1. Elimination Of Controversial Rules Such As Umpire’s Call And Soft Signal

Umpire’s call has been a matter of debate for many. It is used while reviewing an LBW decision. During the ball-tracking, if the ball partially hits the stumps, the third umpire accepts the on-field umpire’s call in that scenario. This also applies to the pitching and impact of the ball during an LBW decision. In such a situation, the on-field umpire’s verdict becomes an advantage for one of the teams.

Another controversial decision is the soft signal. Under this rule, the on-field umpire needs to give a soft signal (out or not out) while reviewing a decision with the third umpire. If the third umpire is unable to find conclusive evidence during the replays, he will go ahead with the on-field umpire’s decision.

This rule came under the hammer during the recent England vs India series. Hence, it was also removed from IPL 2021 by BCCI. So, the umpire’s call and soft signals are two controversial calls that ICC should consider eliminating from the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.