Is the World Test Championship a good idea?

January 15, 2014, 7:45 GMT

By Wacky_Cric_Lover

Yes its a good idea. First of all it will encourage the teams to focus on the tests. Due to T20 that focus has somewhat lost in the recent times. Secondly it would be a great way to build the interest of the audience in this format. However I feel that it should not be limited to the top 4 teams. It can be a Test World Cup if ICC can include at least 8 teams and use the knock-out format. In this way the whole tournament will consists of only 7 matches. 4 first round matches can take place simultaneously and so does the semi-finals.

January 15, 2014, 6:54 GMT

By  

Test Cricket is desperately in need of a larger meaning and goal for its games. The recent two-test series of India in SA showed that an exciting contest can be dampened by the lack of consequence. A competition format will bring in more structure, standardisation and less arbitrary tour scheduling.

Granted, it will also make the calendar more rigid. But if the format is picked wisely, the number of nations playing will be limited (far more than the current crop which includes Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, both questionable).

It would give test cricket its undisputed seat at the pinnacle of cricket. The only danger: A world cup that could actually end up having no winner in case of a drawn final series.

January 16, 2014, 22:07 GMT

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Theres no doubt that its a gd idea, but the championship must be held in a neutral territory like the USA or other countries to ensure conditions do not favour one team. Obviously this method has its own problems such as empty stadiums...

January 16, 2014, 12:16 GMT

By Nokia.C5.oo2

Yes without test cricket like live in the life without get full enjoy . Its the good think that test cricket will be in big tournament between top four teams .

January 16, 2014, 11:14 GMT

By irishhawks

Well I think Test Championship is good idea but it has to be scheduled in such a way that it is not prolonged unnecessarily and it should be divided in two pools of top ranked teams and lower ranked teams so that there is fair enough competition and not one sided victories. Top 2 teams from each pool then go on to play semifinals and then final. Choice of venues should also be taken seriously as test matches should only be played in venues which attracts good healthy number of crowd. For instance if test matches are fixed to be played at UAE then it would be poor decision because of weak tradition of test cricket in that country.

January 16, 2014, 10:48 GMT

By ARFB

A trophy tournament for test cricket is need of an hour.It would give players & boards a strong motivation to perform in test cricket to win a trophy.Players would realize that their performances in tests would hold more value if in a knockout tournament & wins in such a tournament would give more pride to the players & boards.Current Rankings system is a very poor system for test cricket as it is stopping the growth of lower ranked teams.Getting that No. 1 spot for test mace is full of politics & financial hurdles for lower ranked & financially challenged boards.Also the current No.1 South Africa are known chokers in ICC tournaments & an ICC tournament in Test format will truly test their No hold.If a fair share of home and away matches is used in matches of this tournament then, it would be any ones game in this tournament & no team would have a decisive advantage over others, unlike in Limited over's world cups.

January 16, 2014, 10:44 GMT

By yujilop

World Test Championships are a good idea, to give the format the ability to stand on ts own. But, I am not too keen on a knockout tournament format, and would prefer a title defense system, as some other commenters have suggested.

Because of the huge difference playing conditions makes in modern test cricket, any team to defeat the champions at home, should automatically become the World Test Champions. (Also, all test series should be a minimum of three matches) If Bangladesh can defeat South Africa 1-0 in South Africa in a Test series, so be it.

Keep the championships separate from the rankings. At the end of every 4-year cycle, give the highest ranked team (#1, or #2 if #1 is champion)the first chance to play the champions at home in a five-match series. It would be the ultimate challenge.

January 16, 2014, 7:40 GMT

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Cricket should take a lesson from Football. Matches should be played in two legs or any neutral point. If two leg method is chosen then the victory margins can be used to decide the overall winner. The pitches used should not be totally flat otherwise we'll be getting nothing but draws.

January 15, 2014, 15:24 GMT

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ofcourse it is a good idea .. it gives a fair share of chance to all the teams to prove themselves overseas, in the test arena.. and show their critics what they are capable of. and this is definitely a very healthy move for test cricket..sounds very exciting ..although it has its pros and cons... and in case the tournament goes ahead, venues should be chosen accordingly :)

January 15, 2014, 13:36 GMT

By  

Its a good idea, but neutralizing the home advantage for hosting nation is very important