'Flawed' Test Championship reveals world cricket's underlying problems
Reigning champions Australia face South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's starting on Wednesday amid a chorus of criticism over the competition's format.
Wisden, cricket's 'bible', was scathing in its assessment, with editor Lawrence Booth writing in this year's edition that the WTC is a "shambles masquerading as a showpiece".
Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Atherton said "everyone knows the WTC in its present guise is flawed".
One fundamental problem is that political tensions mean India and Pakistan, two of cricket's leading nations, have not played a Test against each other since 2007.
The nine-nation WTC is further skewed because the teams are not being required to face each other or to play the same number of matches, unlike most sports leagues.
Countries are free to decide how many Tests they would like to play in the two-year qualifying cycle -- something Booth wants doubled to four years, with the top nine in the rankings all playing each other, home and away, over series that last at least three Tests.
Positions are calculated on the percentage of available points won by teams.
South Africa have played just 12 Tests in the current cycle -- all of them two-match series -- compared to England's 22 -- and have not played either England or Australia.
South Africa also sent a third-string side to New Zealand in early 2024, and lost. They kept their best players at home to appear in a domestic T20 competition. That was a financial sign of the times, as is Cricket South Africa not scheduling any home Tests for 2025/26.
South Africa reeled off six straight wins to book their place in this year's final, only for former England captain Michael Vaughan to say they had got there "on the back of beating pretty much nobody".
But Proteas coach Shukri Conrad objected that South Africa had beaten teams who had beaten the 'Big Three' of India, Australia and England.
"One of the nobodies we beat won a Test match in Australia -- West Indies beat Australia in a Test match. They are not nobody," insisted Conrad.
"New Zealand beat India: three-zip in India. New Zealand is not a nobody.
"Sri Lanka won Test matches (against England and New Zealand).I don't buy this thing about us beating nobody."
Victory in the final would be a boost to South Africa following years of hurt in ICC white-ball tournaments, with Conrad saying after qualification was secured. "I'm never going to apologise for getting into the final.
"It's the biggest thing in this team's existence. It's the biggest thing for South African cricket at the moment."
One of those involved in devising the points system, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: "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.
"Commercial considerations will also mean the 'Big Three' will want to play each other in five-Test series."
He added this was just as much a choice as England incurring the over-rate penalties that hampered their chances -- they've yet to reach a WTC final despite the first three editions all taking place on home soil -- with skipper Ben Stokes almost disdainful in his assessment of an "utterly confusing" format.
Yet, New Zealand's win in the inaugural 2021 World Test Championship final was welcomed as a long overdue global triumph for a popular side. Australia's failure to qualify for that match was labelled a "big missed opportunity" by skipper Pat Cummins, who made amends with victory at in an Oval final two years ago.
That India were beaten finalists in both the 2021 and 2023 WTC finals indicated there was still a place for the five-day game in world cricket's economic powerhouse, for all T20 events such as the Indian Premier League are the financial driving force.
Indeed former India captain and batting star Virat Kohli, speaking after securing his long-awaited first IPL title following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's triumph in last Tuesday's final, said: "If you want to earn respect in world cricket all over, take up Test cricket and give your heart and soul to it."
But the awkward question for cricket chiefs is whether the WTC is helping or hindering that aim.
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