Proposal for World Test Championship

Since the debate on rescuing and salvaging Test cricket has thankfully gained momentum, I am delighted to resubmit my proposal verbatim as sent earlier.

Your feedback will be highly appreciated.

Best Regards,

Sanjay

An open letter to CEO/General Manager, ICC

A blue-print for creating a World Cup Test Championship

14th July 2008

Mr Dave Richardson/CEO

Dear Mr Richardson,

Further to my recommendation for having a Two Innings per side ODI cricket, I am enclosing a blue-print for creating a World Cup Test Championship for the perusal of ICC.

I believe it addresses all the critical challenges posed to ICC, which otherwise act as serious obstacles to having a World Championship, and a definite logistical nightmare:

1) The problem of multiple hosting nations with adequate infrastructure and available ground facilities

2) The endless time-frame necessary if created in a "tournament" format, which could make it long and monotonous

3) In a tournament format, the matches will all have to be a knock-out one, which is not necessarily the correct method of finding a champion team

4) Difficulty in sustaining crowd and TV viewership interest

5) Administrative and logistical challenge

6) Using the current ICC ranking system and making the top 2 or 4 teams play a knock-out match hardly creates an exciting environment, a build-up or a competitive format necessary to create a world champion team then goes completely missing. It looks like a short-cut and does not leverage marketing and sponsorship opportunities either.

I am convinced that the term 'World Champions' should stand not just for quick-finish one-day cricket or the T20 game, but also for the classical, pressure-driven, tried and tested and a more even-playing game of Test cricket (ask the great bowlers who get severely thrashed with merciless disdain over the boundary ropes by any batsman with a cavalier, buccaneering spirit or adventurous streak). Simply because it is comparatively easier to manage a one-day event or T20 and get sponsor support, we should not give legitimacy to world championship title only in the one-day and now the T20 format.

Any true cricketer, analyst, and cricket connoisseur know that the truly great team is the one that can win Test matches, the ultimate test of skill, stamina, and strategy. Where a match is not won or lost on that celebrated "given day" by the toss, batting in the night, one bad over, a few lofty sixes or a lousy umpiring decision.

My recommended format for World Cup Test Championships also simultaneously addresses the biggest challenge confronting ICC today; get the crowds back for the classical Test cricket that is otherwise fast dissipating. And do so on a sustained basis in perpetuity. It is a pure win-win in every conceivable sense of the word.

Recommendations for World Test Championship (WTC):

1) The WTC finals is held once every four years.

2) The WTC finals begin one year before or after the ODI World Cup. Thus, we will have a sustained interest in world cricket almost on a continuous basis, with T20 and Champions Trophy being held in different intervals as well.

3) The World Test Championship to be fought on a league-cum-knockout basis over a full four-year period.

4) The ICC to have a draw for dividing Test playing countries into two groups, Group A and Group B.

5) Over a period of four years ICC to ensure that through the cricket calendar each Test playing country in every group plays the other in a Test series at least once, both at home and abroad.

6) The ICC to designate one of the matches during a Test series prior as the "Official World Test Championship match" to be counted for the calculation of points for the World Test Championship.

7) The designated World Championship Test match "only" to have the flexibility of being played under 6 days, if necessary. If the match still ends in a draw, the two teams to share equal points.

8) All standard Test playing rules will apply throughout. .

9) The top two teams topping the respective Group A and Group B Leagues nearing the end of the four year cycle will contest the knock-out semi-finals. In the event that even after 6 days, there is no conclusive result, the team with the better net run rate will qualify for the finals.

10) The venues to be pre-determined for the semis and the finals by ICC as per regular process being currently done.

11) The winners play the finals for the World Cup Championship Test title.

Advantages:

1) The above system takes care of the venue, logistics, period of the Championship, as it is evenly distributed to all Test playing nations and is staggered over a four-year period.

2) The World Test Championship becomes like an ongoing annual event stretched over 4 years, with all the countries getting to host an "official" match which will be assigned points for the World Championship.

3) The ICC can exercise the option of including "qualifying rounds" for encouraging minnow nations, if they so wish.

4) This will create great interest in Test cricket, and for the entire series as well (a team can lose the Championship match, and yet go on and win the series and vice-versa). It is good for both the paying public and great value for sponsors.

5) This will be truly representative of a World Championship status, as each team will have a chance to play an opposing team in both away and home conditions. With each country playing in different countries and in varying conditions, it will even out inherent advantages of knowledge and experience of local conditions. This will raise interest in cricket and the Test series in all countries throughout the year thereby giving a huge momentum to the sport, including the cricketers, the public and the sponsors.

6) The ICC will pre-select matches to be deemed "Official for World Championship" so as to give each country the advantage of having a fair share of competitive Test cricket. This will also help counter-balance the lopsided excess of T20 and ODI cricket which currently threatens Test cricket. .

I believe that the above recommended format addresses all issues by providing a custom-fit solution.

I will deeply appreciate your feedback on the above, and should the ICC take this up, and need any clarifications, I will be glad to be of help.

Sincerely,

Sanjay Jha

Founder

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