The World Test Championship was introduced in 2019 by the International Cricket Council to revive the venerable format, and to give it added context in an era of franchise cricket. Participating teams – Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan – play league-style bilateral series over two years, with each match carrying points that determine positions in the standings.
The system has proved controversial and skewed, with the ‘big three’ at a disadvantage compared to their rivals due to the number of Tests they play. Also, it seems to favour countries with large venues and more wealth, as they tend to play more Tests than their less-affluent counterparts.
In this year’s final, serial champions Australia were defeated by a resurgent South Africa at Lord’s. That victory has prompted renewed calls for the ICC to revamp the WTC and make it more equitable by ensuring that all nations play the same amount of games. A separate fund to assist financially poorer countries with staging five-day matches could help.
Ultimately, the ultimate goal for test cricket is to have a global tournament that is similar to the one-day and T20 competitions. That is what would make it exciting and draw in more viewers. But the shambles of the current WTC – a complicated league with a final that appears to have sprung from nowhere – is doing little to inspire the next generation of fans. It needs to be overhauled before 2026, preferably sooner.
