WTC: ICC looking at same points per Test win from next cycle

The ICC decided on a one-off Test to decide the winner of WTC to avoid blocking the busy international calendar for a month or so, says acting CEO Geoff Allardice.

Published : Jun 14, 2021 19:20 IST , Mumbai

India captain Virat Kohli shares a light moment with New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor during the tour in 2020.
India captain Virat Kohli shares a light moment with New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor during the tour in 2020.
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India captain Virat Kohli shares a light moment with New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor during the tour in 2020.

The International Cricket Council will stick to the percentage point system in the World Test Championship, even though it plans a few tweaks in the next cycle.

Going forward, all teams will get ‘same standardised number of points’ for winning a game rather than the 120 allocated per series. In the last cycle, the value for each series was 120 points, while a two-match series had 60 points for a win while a four-match series had 30 points in store per victory.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC had to amend the points system last year to decide the finalists on the basis of the percentage of points earned from those they contested for. And currently, match results and not series results are taken into account. In a five-match rubber, 20 percent of the points are available each match, while in a two-match series, 50 per cent of the points are available every game.

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And that will continue in the next circle, too, ICC acting CEO Geoff Allardice stated on Monday.

“I think we are going to stick with the percentage of points - one method to rank a team. When we looked at the first 12 months of the competition, you had teams on a number of points, but it was all relative to how many series they played. One of the ways to compare teams on an ongoing basis is what proportion of the points that have been available in the matches they played, and if they actually won. And that percentage served us well in the second half of the championship. That is part of the changes,” Allardice said.

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“The other thing is, if we are using the percentage of points one, we can put a standardised number of points per Test match, so it doesn't matter whether it's a two-Test series or a five Test series; the same number of points will be available for each match that’s played, but every team will be judged on the percentage of those points that it wins and not on the total.”

Over the last few months, several former and current cricketers have questioned the points allocation system. Before travelling to England, India head coach Ravi Shastri had batted for a "best-of-three" final for the World Test Championship.

Reacting to Shastri’s statements, Allardice said: “In a perfect world, a three Test series would be a great way to decide the World Test Championship, but I think the reality of the international cricket schedule is that we can’t block a month or so for all the teams in the tournament for a final. So, that's why one match final was decided upon. In a way, it's quite exciting because it brings something new, and a one-off Test match is to decide the best team in the world over this two year cycle.”

India plays New Zealand in the World Test Championship final in Southampton, starting Friday.

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