ICC should come up with a formula to determine WTC winners in case of a draw: Sunil Gavaskar
Rain has so far dominated the proceedings of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between India and New Zealand in Southampton. Two entire days – Day 1 and Day 4 – were washed out due to persistent rain. Expectedly, fans and experts are unhappy with rain playing a spoilsport. But all is not lost yet, as there are still two days left in the marquee clash with the sixth day (23 June) being a reserve day. If the match ends in a draw, then both teams will share the trophy.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar has an interesting take on the same and has suggested the ICC to think of a formula to decide the winner, in case the match ends in a draw. India scored 217 after being asked to bat, while New Zealand in reply have scored 101 runs losing just two wickets in the process.
Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle and former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull though feel, that all the three results are still possible. But the possibility of draw seems highly likely and Gavaskar feels ICC should look into the matter for future matches.
“There must be a formula to pick a winner in case of a drawn World Test Championship final. ICC’s cricket committee should think and then make a decision,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak.
Sunil Gavaskar feels the WTC Final will most probably end in a draw
The conditions at the Ageas Bowl were conducive for fast bowling and the Kiwi pacers exploited well with Kyle Jamieson leading the charge with five wickets. The same was expected from their counterparts, but Indian bowlers failed to execute their plans on Day 3. With Day 4 gone, the possibility of getting the result in just two days left seems a bit difficult. Gavaskar strongly feels the trophy of the first-ever WTC final will be shared between both India and New Zealand.
If this happens, then it will be the second instance of the trophy being shared in the ICC finals. The first such incident had taken place in 2002 during the ICC Champions Trophy finals as India and Sri Lanka match was abandoned due to heavy rain at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 29th September. The trophy was shared between both teams.
