An alternative WTC model that is fair to all teams

A Reddit user going by the name of ‘peppertxt’ on Wednesday (June 30) made an honest attempt to come up with an alternative World Test Championship (WTC) model which is fair to all participating teams. The user identified the much talked about flaws of the existing arrangement and tried to come up a system that […]
 
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An alternative WTC model that is fair to all teams

A Reddit user going by the name of ‘peppertxt’ on Wednesday (June 30) made an honest attempt to come up with an alternative World Test Championship (WTC) model which is fair to all participating teams.

The user identified the much talked about flaws of the existing arrangement and tried to come up a system that makes for a more level playing field. One which doesn’t leave much up for debate and is accepted widely.

This user suggested a “slightly modified Two-Tier system”, with the likes of West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan joined by Scotland and Nepal in the lower division.

With each tier comprising seven teams, nations will play six series each – three home and three away (as they do right now) – with the length of each series left on teams’ mutual agreement.

Teams from Tier 1 will be mandated to play one series at home and one series away against a team from Tier 2, thus ensuring they don’t miss out on action against teams from the higher division.

An alternative WTC model that is fair to all teams

As per the points system suggested by this user, there is “no reason why all home series be given equal weightage and all away series to be given equal weightage.”

In each of the tiers, the user called for an away series to be valued at double to that of a home series, although for any cross-tier series the weightage will be equal independent of the division.

In tier 1, the teams will fight for a total of 1200 points through their campaign, via a method: “3 Home series(120×3), 3 away series(240×3) and 2 Cross-Tier series(60×2)”, while in tier 2, they’ll contest for 720 points each: “3 Homes series(60×3), 3 away series(120×3) and 2 Cross-Tier series(60×2).”

While recognising that the flaws still remain, the user said it’s the most “realistic” model he/she could’ve come up with for the benefit of all teams.

An alternative WTC model that is fair to all teams

WTC model is not perfect but it is the best that ICC can come up with (pic courtesy: Twitter/ICC)

An alternative WTC model that is fair to all teams

Opinion: More than realistic, it’s another idealistic view of how the WTC model shall be and doesn’t acknowledge why the flaws are there at the first place. This writer has previously also reiterated why the existing WTC model is the best that the ICC could’ve come up with, given cricket’s deeper structural issues and the heavy gap between the financial standings of teams and their resources.

But, even if one gives the model suggested above a chance to be on the discussion table, some glaring loopholes are evident. While there is an attempt to address the ‘home and away’ issue and bring more teams into the WTC fold, it at the same time shuns down the likes of West Indies, Bangladesh to a lower division of cricket and add to their miseries.

Besides the obvious fact that teams will be vehemently against the relegation possibility – even if you give them one or two cross-tier series – the two-tier system will also mean fewer Test matches for the already struggling lower-ranked sides since none of their opposition in tier 2 will be able to afford to play them for more than a solitary Test.

Each home series in such a tier will put a further dent on their finances and make them weaker over time. If the Test match fund is revived, then this issue might be resolved. But currently, there are no discussions at the ICC office regarding this.

And while the idea behind cross-tier series is to encourage tier 1 teams to play the tier 2 ones, the reality of the cricket world is such that the likes of India, England and Australia will never agree to squeeze in an extra Test match or two to their calendars, especially at home against a non-lucrative opposition.

Also, if the points system concentrates on the series and not matches – which the ICC have addressed quite well through the percentage-based points system – there is no improvement from the previous points system, with teams, depending on their financial muscles, playing series of different sizes.