World Test Championship: 'Something needs to be done,' AB de Villiers proposes change to WTC format
Former South Africa cricket captain
AB de Villiers
has called for changes to the World Test Championship (WTC) format, as the 2025-2027 cycle began on Tuesday with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka.
His comments come after South Africa's victory over Australia in the 2023-2025 WTC final at Lord's, with the new cycle starting just five days after the conclusion of the previous one.
The WTC format has faced criticism during the previous cycle, particularly regarding South Africa's qualification for the final. Questions were raised about the fairness of the points system and scheduling, with critics highlighting disparities in the number of matches played and the strength of opposition faced by different teams.
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"[This moment] won't be lost. But yes, to a certain extent, something needs to be done. I saw the schedule that came out for the next cycle of the WTC and there is an improvement, but I still feel there's work that needs to be done there to just to get it as consistent as possible and as fair as possible for all for all Test-playing nations," de Villiers told
BBC Sport
.
'South Africa kept fighting, deserved champions': Pat Cummins
De Villiers has proposed extending the WTC cycle to four years, allowing for a more comprehensive competition structure where all participating nations can face each other.
"You want to get to that final feeling like you've played against all these nations. Maybe a four-year cycle would be nice. We've done that in the past with one-day internationals, so why not in Test cricket? It would make sense and it would give the organisers just so much more time to get a really fair, well-balanced system out there," he stated.
The upcoming 2025-2027 WTC cycle began with Sri Lanka hosting Bangladesh in a two-match series and will continue with India taking on England in a five-match series.
The scheduling of the new cycle has drawn attention, as it begins almost immediately after the conclusion of the previous final, leaving minimal transition time between the two periods.
De Villiers, who witnessed South Africa's historic WTC victory at Lord's, expressed confidence in the lasting impact of this achievement on South African cricket.
"It's a long time until our next Test match, but there's no doubt it won't be forgotten. I've absolutely no doubt the Proteas have sort of stirred the emotions of the South African cricketing fans and they will patiently wait for that next encounter," he remarked.
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