4 Things ICC Should Change In The Next WTC Cycle

The inaugural ICC World Test Championship [WTC] finally came to an end with Kane Williamson’s New Zealand beating Team India in the summit clash to become the undisputed champions of cricket.

The World Test Championship was introduced by the ICC to lend some context to the longest format of the game and while it succeeded to an extent in achieving that, the concept can be made better with a few tweaks.

Here’s a look at 4 things ICC should change in the next WTC Cycle:

Best of 3 finals

The World Test Championship final during the first cycle was a one-off affair to decide the undisputed champion.

However, in the forthcoming cycles, the ICC should look at conducting a best of three finals to determine the eventual winner.

Yes, it would require a herculean task of finding a month-long window to conduct a best of three series, but it would only be fair given the fact that it will give a chance for the other team to stage a comeback.

Test cricket is a hard grind. The teams that have qualified for the finals have done so by playing consistent cricket over a period of two years and so it is unfair to judge them by a one-off performance.

A proper three-match tussle between the two best teams in the world will not only build narratives amid the ebb and flow, it will also show us which team has the ability to stage a comeback after having been pushed into a corner.

Reward the table-toppers of the two-year cycle

In the IPL, the team that finishes at the top of the pile following a grueling league stage gets two opportunities to make it to the finals.

It is a reflection of rewarding the most consistent team of the tournament given the fact that T20 is a fickle game and one doesn’t want to see the best team of the tournament get knocked out after a rare blip in a knockout game.

Similarly, in the case of the World Test Championship,  the ICC must find a way of rewarding the team that finishes at the top of the pile after a grueling two-year cycle.

One of the ways in which the ICC could reward the No.1 team in the WTC cycle is by doing away with the toss in the final and giving the top-ranked team the opportunity to decide what they want to do in the summit clash.

An equal number of points per Test

The allocation of points came under the scanner in the last ICC World Test Championship.

That is because a two-match series between New Zealand and Pakistan carried the same points (120) as compared to a four-match rubber between India and Australia or a five-match series between England and Australia.

While it is not possible for each and every team to play the same number of Test matches because of financial and broadcasting revenue issues, the ICC will be better served if they can adopt a standardized points allocation for every Test match.

With the percentage of points accumulated by a team once again set to be the parameter and not the actual points, having a standardized points allocation system for every Test match played will mean that it wouldn’t matter if a team has played a 5-match rubber or a two-game affair.

ICC Interim CEO George Allardice recently gave an indication of the same.

“The other thing is if we are using the percentage of points won we can put a standardised number of points per Test match,” said Allardice

“So it doesn’t matter if it is a two-Test series or a five-Test series, the same number of points will be available for each match that’s played, but every team would be judged on the percentage of those points it wins, not on total,” he added.

Be flexible in adding reserve days

The recent World Test Championship final nearly ended in a rain-affected draw after a couple of days were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

While the ICC had added a reserve day in advance, even that wouldn’t have been enough had the pitch not been conducive to seam and swing bowling.

Going forward, if a similar situation arises in the next WTC final, the ICC should be flexible to add more reserve days if needed, or just let the total of 450 overs be bowled irrespective of the number of days it takes to complete it.

The WTC final is a marquee affair and while the ICC got away this time around, they wouldn’t really want to see the final ending in a farcical rain-affected draw just because they weren’t flexible enough to add more reserve days in the contest.

Also Read- 3 Reasons Why New Zealand Won The ICC World Test Championship Final