LONDON: The cricketing world’s gaze turns to Lord’s this Wednesday as reigning champions Australia prepare to take on South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. However, the much-anticipated showdown is overshadowed by a growing chorus of criticism regarding the competition’s controversial format.
Cricket’s venerable ‘bible’, Wisden, minced no words in its recent assessment. Editor Lawrence Booth, in this year’s edition, starkly labeled the WTC a “shambles masquerading as a showpiece.” Echoing this sentiment, former England captain Michael Atherton conceded that “everyone knows the WTC in its present guise is flawed.”
A fundamental flaw highlighted by critics is the absence of Test matches between cricket giants India and Pakistan since 2007, a direct consequence of prevailing political tensions. This significantly skews the nine-nation WTC, which is further complicated by the fact that teams are not mandated to face each other or play a consistent number of matches. Countries retain the autonomy to determine the number of Tests they play within the two-year qualifying cycle, with standings calculated based on the percentage of available points won.
This structural imbalance is evident in South Africa’s journey to the final. They have played a mere 12 Tests in the current cycle, all in two-match series, a stark contrast to England’s 22 matches. Notably, South Africa has not played against either England or Australia in this cycle. Compounding the issue, South Africa notably dispatched a weakened squad to New Zealand in early 2024, leading to a loss, as their premier players prioritized the domestic T20 competition – a stark reflection of modern cricket’s evolving landscape.
Lawrence Booth advocates for a significant overhaul, proposing a four-year cycle where teams play each other both home and away in series consisting of at least three Tests. An anonymous source involved in the development of the WTC points system acknowledged the complexities of devising a workable format to AFP, stating, “It’s difficult to come up with a solution where everyone is happy given the barriers to an orthodox table that exist, such as the India-Pakistan situation.” The source also pointed to commercial considerations, indicating that the ‘Big Three’ nations would naturally prefer to engage in five-Test series.
Despite the structural criticisms, the WTC, initially conceived to elevate Test cricket’s profile amidst a plethora of competing formats, holds significant importance for both players and fans. New Zealand’s triumph in the inaugural 2021 World Test Championship final was widely celebrated as a well-deserved global victory for a popular team. Australia’s failure to qualify for that particular final was deemed a “big missed opportunity” by skipper Pat Cummins, a setback he rectified with a victory in the Oval final two years ago.
The fact that India reached the finals in both 2021 and 2023 serves as a potent reminder of the enduring relevance of the five-day game, even within India, the economic powerhouse of world cricket where Twenty20 cricket largely holds sway. Former India captain Virat Kohli, fresh off securing his long-awaited first Indian Premier League title last week with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, unequivocally affirmed the paramount importance of Test cricket. “If you want to earn respect in world cricket all over, take up Test cricket and give your heart and soul to it,” he declared.
