World Test Championship: 3 suggested formats for future WTC finals
India and New Zealand will feature in the first-ever ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final starting from 18 June 2021 as per WTC final schedule. While the 2019-21 WTC final will be in the form of a single Test, the format may see changes in the future.
Many ICC events began on a smaller scale before taking their present form. The 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup was a 15-match event but the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup featured 48 matches.
There are already talks to expand the ICC Men's T20 World Cup to a 20-team event. It had started as a 12-team event in 2007.
An international event gains greater context when it features top-ranked nations contesting a set number of fixtures. It seems unfair to declare the winner of a two-year event based on a single Test.
The biggest thorn in the expansion of the WTC final is the question of viewership. However, we know that several marquee events like the Ashes run for a couple of months and still attract good viewership. There's no reason why the WTC can't do the same.
Here are a few suggestions for the format of future WTC finals.
1. A 3-Test series for the WTC final:
The organizers could look at holding the WTC final as a 3-match Test series.
They could take inspiration from the Australian Tri-Series finals which used to be held in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. After the end of the league stage, the top two teams contested in a best-of-3 finals to declare the winner.
The victor of this three-game contest was named the tournament winner. If a team won the first two finals, the third match wasn't needed at all.
This format would afford the side losing the first Test an opportunity to make a comeback. From the perspective of the fans, they will get to see a riveting 3-match Test series.
A points system akin to Sheffield Shield or County Cricket could be employed to ensure a winner even if the series ends in a stalemate.
2. Play-offs or knockouts:
To ensure greater meaning to the tournament, the top 4 sides in the WTC table could then be made to participate in a play-off or knockout style semi-finals..
The format of the ICC Knockout Trophy (the predecessor to the ICC Champions Trophy) could be borrowed under this setup. Here, the top 4 sides would engage in two semi-finals and a final.
An alternative to the above could be employing a playoff system similar to the one prevalent in the IPL. This would ensure that the top-ranked sides do not miss out on the final due to one bad game.
Also check latest WTC final live score by clicking here.
Thus, the top two sides can play a Qualifier 1 followed by an eliminator between the 3rd and 4th ranked sides. The winner of the former books a direct seat into the final, while the loser takes on the winner of the eliminator in Qualifier 2.
The winner of Qualifier 2 reaches the final.
3. World Test Cup:
This would include the top six teams on the WTC table. They would be divided into two groups and the top sides from each group would then play in the finals.
All sides could end up with the same number of wins and losses in the group. So to determine each group leader, a points system would be of immense value.
This idea could be further used to create a 'plate' Cup for the sides ranked between 7-12 in the WTC table. Thus, one could include Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland in the WTC.