Play-offs will change face of Ashes (25 October 1998)

25 October 1998

Play-offs will change face of Ashes

By Scyld Berry

ENGLAND'S forthcoming series against Australia will be the last of its kind. The next Ashes series, in 2001, is certain to form some part of a world Test championship.

One of two proposals the International Cricket Council are considering is that a world Test championship should be conducted every four or five years. In that time each Test-playing country would play the eight others home and away in a series of at least two Test matches, neatly resulting in an outright world champion.

The England and Wales Cricket Board are ready to switch from the traditional cycle of playing Australia and West Indies home and away every four years to every five. The four-year cycle came about when there were few other attractions on cricket's calendar. It is only 14 months since Australia were being dismissed at the Oval by Andy Caddick and Phil Tufnell, although England's selectors have blotted out the memory.

The Australian Cricket Board, however, are keen to keep the Ashes going as part of a four-year Test championship. For commercial reasons Australia want what they call their 'icon series' against England and West Indies to continue as frequently as before.

The second ICC proposal is that, in addition to this league phase of all nine countries playing each other home and away over four or five years, the cycle would culminate in play-offs for the top four countries. Such a climax, spread over a couple of months, would generate considerable interest in the five-day game.

Television rights to cover the semi-finals and final of a world Test championship would also be very valuable - and, unworthy but realistic thought that it may be, awarding those TV rights to one multi-national company or another might just happen to line a few dodgy pockets. But play-offs, however arranged, are likely to prove unfair. The country which ambles along for years to finish fourth in the league phase might become world champions simply by winning a couple more Tests.

All the hard work done by the players of the country finishing top of the league could be undone by losing the toss on a 'result wicket' in the semi-final. In either event the four or five-year qualifying period would be rendered relatively meaningless, when it should be supplying that significant overall context which every Test series has lacked.

The decision on the future shape of Test cricket is to be made on Jan 10 and 11 by the executive board of ICC, which consists mainly of the president or chairman of each Test country's board. As more of these chairmen and presidents have been businessmen in their time, rather than first-class cricketers, the lucrative play-off option must be more likely in the absence of widespread protest about its injustice. A triangular Test tournament between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is being arranged for early next year as an experiment in Test play-offs - not to mention in selling TV rights.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)