The change in ranking based on percentage of points contested, which came about thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be extended to the second (2021-23) edition of the World Test Championship with a caveat. Instead of having 120 points available on each series, independent of the length of the series, each Test match will now have the same number of points. At the end of the WTC cycle, teams will be ranked based on the percentage of points they have earned in all the matches they have played.
The above points system was revealed by the acting CEO of the ICC, Geoff Allardyce, during a media chat organized by the ICC on Monday. As a result of the postponement of several series in the first round of the WTC due to the pandemic, the ICC changed the points system last November, deciding to rank teams based on percentage of points won from series.
That innings overtook New Zealand, who were then behind India, Australia and England in the points table, and became the first team to make it to the inaugural WTC final after successive home series victories over West Indies and Pakistan. India's historic 2-1 win in Australia, followed by a 3-1 win at home against England allowed them to book the second finalist's spot and eventually top the WTC table.
Four days before the WTC final, Allardyce said that the ICC has decided to stick to the percentage of points method as it offers double benefits. "We want to stick with the percentage-points-winning way to rank teams," Allardyce said. "When we looked at the first 12 months of competition you had teams at a number of points, but it was all relative to the series they played. So one way to compare teams on an ongoing basis is to see in what ratio they played. The available points in matches played are actually won and that percentage served us well in the second half of the championship.
"The other thing is that if we are using percentage of points won then we can put a standardized number of points per test match. So it doesn't matter whether it is a two test match series or a five test match. In a series of matches, points will be available for each match played the same number of matches, but each team will be judged on the basis of the percentage of winning points, not the total."
The change in the points system was originally devised and recommended by the ICC Cricket Committee, headed by former India captain Anil Kumble. However, not everyone was impressed by the ICC's move. Ahead of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, India captain Virat Kohli said the revised points system was "confusing". India had played four of their six scheduled series in the WTC cycle at that time and were at the top of the table with 360 points. However, Australia, which had scored 296 points from the three series, overtook India after the revision, with 82.22 percentage points (296 out of 360) compared to the latter's 75 (360 out of 480).
Allardyce understood the critics' view, but said the ICC had no choice but to change the system. "The principle we had when creating the competition was that every match in a series played as part of the Test Championship should count. The point system was also to try and reflect that the two-match series was equal. It was a five-match series trying to make sure everyone was playing for the same number of points as the total, everyone was playing home and away for the same number of points.
"One of the things that happened during this cycle is that it became clear that not everyone was going to complete their six series as a result of some postponement due to Covid. So we left the final at the same spot in the calendar as we did. It was originally scheduled. But because we are going to have an uneven number of teams playing the series, we need to change the points system to try to make it as fair as possible and to make sure that it Reflects the matches they played rather than being heavily influenced by what they didn't play.
"As it turns out it was a fair system. New Zealand did not play a series last year as a result of the Covid disruption, but they are still able to qualify for the finals on the strength of their performances in other series. So we Prefer not to change the points system in the middle of the tournament, but due to the COVID circumstances and the need to ensure that the best two teams reach the final, we thought it was necessary that it was finally approved. Why."
Best-of-Three Finals Not "Realistic"
Allardyce also said that India coach Ravi Shastri's suggestion of a best-of-three final to determine the winner of the second edition of the WTC was a good one, but not "realistic", because of the lack of a free window for it. was. Such an event in the cricket calendar
"In an ideal world a three-Test series would be a great way to decide the World Test Championship," Allardyce said. "But the reality (of) international cricket schedules is that we are not going to have [a situation where] it is realistic to hold off a month or so for all the teams in the tournament for the final. So the final of a match was Decided. Why it's so exciting because it brings something new. Here it is - we've got a one-time Test match to decide the best team in the world in this two-year cycle."
Draw "definitely a valid result"
Allardyce was asked whether it was fair to have the two finalists in case the match ended in a draw due to a rain interruption. Announcing the WTC prize money on Monday, the ICC said the two teams would share the Test mace and $2.4 million in the event of a draw.
"One of the characteristics of Test cricket is that a draw results in a draw," Allardyce said. "One thing we did when talking about the structure of the competition was that we didn't want to introduce a final with one team winning and one team drawing, so both teams start on Friday as well. They have to play. There are five days for that. Get a result. We have set aside a reserve day so that if time is lost during those five days it can be made up on a further reserve day. This is not a six-day Test match.
"And if the result after those five days is a draw, the idea was that the appropriate outcome is that the championship is shared. Whether we like it or not, that's certainly a valid result in Test cricket."