World Test Championship: ICC’s skewed schedule hurting test cricket big time

Test Match Cricket is called the holy grail of the game. Some even call it the ultimate contest. This was the first ever format that came into being when international cricket came into existence. England and Australia started playing the longest formats till more members were added with the list now standing at 12.

After year’s of dwindling numbers and interest in test cricket, first due to ODI’s and then due to T20 the ICC came up with a radical idea. The idea in question was the World Test Championship.

The origins of World Test Championships –

ICC in a bid to revive the interest in test cricket began the World Test Championships. The idea was to have all the test playing nations play against each other and the top two reach the finals. This was done for two reasons one to get back the crowds to the five-day format. Secondly to have more players get involved and have something to play for in the red ball format.

The COVID disruption issue –

The first red flag for ICC was the disruption of cricket due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The deadly virus spread its tentacles in early 2020, denying ICC a chance to schedule any test for nearly 5 months. Once test cricket began in England, there was no crowd allowed to come back into the ground. This hurt ICC and every cricket board around the world.

Revival of test cricket? Not really!

If one has to see the shortsightedness of the ICC, all they have to see is the table of both the World Test Championships. During the 1st cycle, only 9 teams played with Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland forgotten. The pattern was followed again in the 2nd cycle with the 3 teams not even in contention despite being regular test playing nations.

The curious case of missing members –

If the above fact shocks you, this might help us in convincing you even further. The table below will illustrate our stat.

** Two out of Afghanistan’s 3 tests in 2019 came during the WTC 1st Cycle

** 1 out of two test for Ireland in 2019 came during the WTC 1st Cycle

** Zimbabwe did not play any test match in 2019 and all their 8 tests were part of the 1st and 2nd WTC Cycle.

** While Ireland haven’t played tests since 2019, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are yet to play tests in 2022.

More favored towards the big 5?

One of the criticism thrown towards ICC is the fact they favor the SENA nations along with India as far as scheduling is concerned. England was the biggest recipient of the test match largesse by ICC. England have played a whopping 42 games during the World Test championships with 21 games** in both cycles. (England still has 1 game left vs Pakistan).

** Note this data is up to 16th December 2022 till the 3rd days play of the 1st Test between India and Bangladesh

Worrying numbers for other nations not named England in 2022 –

2022 has been a year full of white ball cricket, namely T20 cricket. The need to play this format was due to the 2022 T20 World cup which was held in Australia. Test cricket has entirely taken a backseat for many nations during the year. England on the other hand have got their regular of quota of home and away series. the table below will show the tests played by each country during this calendar year.

*- denotes the ongoing test match between India and Bangladesh (which Bangladesh’s 9th test this year )

** - denotes the ongoing India vs Bangladesh test and also the rescheduled India vs England test in 2022. (The 1st test at Bangladesh would be India’s 6th test this year)

Is World Test Championship even worth it?

Seeing the above few tables, one has to really wonder what is the process and thinking behind the schedules. While one team plays more dozen games a year, the other teams do not even make double digits appearances in test cricket.

The logic behind hosting the World Test Championship solves no purpose if there is no equal playing field.

What can the ICC do going forward?

To make Test Cricket interesting, the ICC must involve all the test playing nations. They must ensure each nation plays equal amount of games during a test cycle. There must be test matches for the likes of Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan. The schedule for the 2023-2025 cycle looks promising with each nation barring the 3 aforementioned teams.

The ICC must at all cost have every team play a minimum of 3 matches in a series going forward. The revenue for test cricket doesn’t just come from the broadcasting but also from the fans who visit the ground. ICC must make sure to create a new generation of fans in the youngsters who have been swayed away by T20 cricket.

Cricket Cult’s take –

There is no doubt that Test Cricket will stay alive and kicking for centuries to come. The allure and attraction though lies in the hands of the ICC. One wrong move the entire motive behind such a radical move could go kaput. The need of the hour is both quality and quantity in terms of test cricket. The quality can be bought in by the scheduling and the quality will take care of itself in the future.