World Test Championship: An explainer on the revised points structure
The last quarterly meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2020 was held last week. One of the outcomes of the meeting has been the usage of percentage points to determine the two finalists of the World Test Championship (WTC) of 2019-2021. This recommendation came from the cricket committee headed by Anil Kumble for neutralizing the time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bangladesh, the only side yet to open their points table in WTC, had three Test series cancelled and also a game in their 2-match Test series against Pakistan. India, who is on the top in terms of points did not lose a single Test in this period. However, the latest change in the points table has pushed India down to No.2 and allowed Australia to move to the top.
How does it work?
Australia, who played three Test series, earned 296 points while India claimed 360 points across four series. Each series had a value of 120 points which meant Australia’s 296 points came from a possible 360 points i.e. a percentage of points of 82.22. In India’s case, the percentage is 75 as they won 360 points out of the 480 points for which they contested. The new column added to the World Test Championship table helps in determining the two best teams through whatever matches/series played.
The series lost due to COVID-19 might not be covered by June 2021 before the first-ever WTC final in England. A sort of urgency can be seen in teams in contention of finishing in the top two to ensure they get maximum points in each game. This method might be new for international cricket but has been a tried-and-tested one in domestic circuits in the previous century. The County teams used to pick a lot of tricks and trades to stay ahead in the Percentage of possible points (PtsPC).
Who benefits from the new system?
New Zealand, who are currently placed at No.4, are likely to be the biggest gainers of the latest update. The BlackCaps will be playing West Indies and Pakistan at home as part of the WTC in the 2020-21 season. The New Zealand team is too strong for home conditions and could sweep full 240 points and finish with a percentage of 70.
Australia, who are currently with a percentage of 82.22, should not lose the home Test series against India by a margin of more than one Test. (If their series against SA doesn’t take place as planned) India, on the other hand, will have a tough time ahead if they fail to win even one Test in Australia as they are slated to face England at home. The series against England will be a 5-match series and each game carries only 24 points.
