ICC Plans Big Shake-Up for the Next World Test Championship Cycle
The World Test Championship cycle is likely to go through some changes ahead of the next cycle. As of now, the tournament is restricted to just 9 teams which may be changed. There were talks for introducing a two tier system too.
The World Test Championship cycle is likely to go through some changes ahead of the next cycle. As of now, the tournament is restricted to just 9 teams which may be changed. There were talks for introducing a two tier system too.
The Test cricket fans might start their wait for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle from now onwards. This is because the next cycle is likely to go through some massive changes, bringing more excitement. As of now, the World Test Championship is having nine teams in the same.
From dominant teams such as South Africa, India, England, and a lot more, to even teams such as Bangladesh and West Indies, the tournament has given intense moments to the fans. But now, it is likely for the tournament to be extended to more teams ahead of the next cycle. While the news for the same is not confirmed, fans are requested to be updated with the ICC’s official page.
1. WTC’s Changes
Since the World Test Championship cycle started, it has had nine teams. There were talks of increasing the number of teams in this tournament but never confirmed. However, it is now expected to be having a major change and this time it will be in the number of teams in the tournament.
With nine teams participating in the current cycle, the next cycle is likely to have 12 teams. This means a 33.33% increase in the number of teams in the tournament. And these will be the full member nations of the ICC, providing fans with more Test matches to enjoy these days.
ICC Full Members List:
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- India
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
- Zimbabwe
Taking a look at the current World Test Championship cycle, there are three full member teams missing out. And these teams include Ireland, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe. With their inclusion likely from the next cycle, fans will be getting more of Test action.
2. Two Tier Idea Scrapped
Over the past few months, there were also talks about the two tier format in the World Test Championship cycle. This format was introduced earlier by ICC but it has been a long time since games were conducted based on the same. The format allowed the Test playing nations to be into two parts.
In this tier system, the first part will be having the strong teams such as Australia, England, India, and a lot more. And in the second part, the remaining teams such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies, and a lot more will be participating. These were the two tiers of the World Test Championship cycle which were proposed.
The teams which finished in the bottom of the WTC Tier 1, will be demoted to Tier 2. And the teams which finished at the top of the Tier 2 will eventually be promoted to Tier 1 for the next cycle. This format of the WTC cycle was discussed but it had its own limitations which were by the ICC members.
One of the major limitations was that the other nations such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan won't be getting many chances against the strong nations. As per the recent reports, the ICC has now scrapped the idea of having two tiers in the World Test Championship cycle. But the idea for having 12 teams in the next cycle is still on, and likely to be implemented.
3. How Teams are Selected for WTC Cycle?
When the World Test Championship was first introduced, replacing the Test Mace, it was questioned how the teams would be selected. For this, the ICC used its Test rankings, which played a crucial role for any team to be a part of the same. Since this tournament was for the full member nations only, there were 12 contenders for
In this, the ICC stated that the top nine teams in the ICC Test Rankings will be a part of the World Test Championship cycle. This made it easier for teams such as India, Australia, England, and South Africa to make it to the cycle. But teams such as Ireland, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe got excluded from the same.
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