Here we are with part II in our series, Make Test Cricket Great Again: Problems with Test Cricket.
Albert Einstein once said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
This is exactly our goal. The long-term ambition of this series of articles is to generate a whole list of problems associated with Test cricket, propose respective solutions(both idealistic & practical), bring other people in during the process, and maybe at the end, gather enough momentum to gain the attention of administrators & the ICC.
Today, we bring in our friends from Twitter who will share their concerns with Test cricket & the World Test Championship.
The more opinions we have, the better. We can only move forward with a rich exchange of ideas between the fans, commentators, local administrators, experts, & former players rather than just the meeting board room of the Big 3.
The Work Done So Far
We did a similar exercise during the early days of the World Test Championship, but we wish to build upon this model. Here are some of our past proposals to improve the WTC.
Problems: Imbalance of the Big 3 (Australia, England, India) and the bias of ‘marquee’ series like the 5-match Ashes.
Solution: Merge the FTP (Future Tour Programme) & the WTC, and create a system where each team plays a 5-4-3 match series or 4-4-4 Test match series during a cycle. “Instead of scrapping the Ashes, we will keep traditional rivalries intact and encourage new ones.” Overall, 24 games against 9 opponents in a 2.5 year WTC cycle.
Problems: (1) Points fluctuate based on number of games in a series (60 points – 2 Tests, 40 – 3 Tests, 24 – 5 Tests), (2) No points accommodated for Home & Away Advantage, and (3) All-Or-Nothing Points System for a 5 day-15 session Test match.
Solution: We combine the ODI Super League system (consistent base point system per series), provide a mechanism for home versus away (away wins & draws worth more), and distribute additional points across sessions to incorporate ebb & flow (2 points – session won, 1 point – even/wash out).
We implement our system from above and compare it with the WTC Table (as of August 30, 2020)
The Work Planned Ahead
The issue with my initial set of articles was the underlying assumption that each team will play an equal number of matches against each other. In a post-COVID world, matches are not guaranteed, and it seems certain nations are prioritizing games against higher ranked teams and calling off series against lower-ranked ones.
Hence, we plan to do practical investigations in our future articles:
Revenue each Test playing nation generates: How much money does each cricket board and player earn every Test series per country? Why does New Zealand lose money to host a Test? How does the revenue compare to T20 leagues and the death of the tri-series?
What does it take to host a Test match? We can analyze what goes during the match but what goes behind the scenes? We will research and examine key components: The major players, administrators, ground staff, and more.
Equity vs Equality: Innovations that can help further bridge the gap between the different teams given the current financial status and level of each team.
The Pink Ball Test: Does More Harm Than Good? Day-night Test matches ending in 2-3 days cannot generate more crowd/interest than a balanced Test match held for 5 days during the day. We will analyze the key differences between the red ball & pink ball, practice matches in domestic tournaments, and if this idea is worth sustaining?
Your Opinion Matters: Problems With Test Cricket
In Part I of the series, we asked our friends on Twitter how they would improve Test cricket. Some ideas that I brainstormed to get the conversation started were as follows:
Getting rid of DRS umpires call (on impact)
Improving/ Standardizing pitches (Chennai 2x pitch received way too much backlash)
Promoting more money from T20 leagues to help out domestic cricketers
Having a relegation-promotion system for the WTC
What Do People Think?
Now it is the people’s turn. Here is what they had to say. These are interesting Twitter accounts, blogs, & podcasts in their own right. Feel free to check them out (links next to the name).
“Definitely agree that that there is too much disparity between the big three and every other team. I am also onboard with a ‘division’ system for the WTC.”
Every team should play against each other. That will make the tournament lengthy but it will make it perfect and no teams can be said to have an easier pool or tougher pool. Conduct finals once in 4-5 years. Every Test playing nation should play against each other. It will make the WTC more enthralling contest.
“I just hate the comments that this team got ‘easier’ away tours than others. Or easier home games. WTC is a mighty big championship and in something big like this, you do not want any comments which should call it unfair.”
Conclusion
Brilliant entries from Twitter! Major theme was to create a balance in the number of Test matches played between each country during a particular cycle. Some innovative solutions for the WTC included 2 groups semi-finals format, bonus points against higher ranked teams, & a 3-match final. For Test cricket in general—mandatory neutral umpires, DRS improvement, & updating rain-protocols were some interesting proposals.
Looking Forward
Last time, I started with “I have been meaning to write this article for months now, but for some reason have not been able to.”
I now know why. This is not a one day project. Or a one week project. Or even a one person project. This will take input from several individuals, research & conversations, back & forth exchanges, and a lot of time. But, as they say:
“Rome was not built in day. It was built brick by brick.”
One step at a time.
Make Test Cricket Great Again and Restore the Soul of This Wonderful Sport.
Amidst the India Vs England series, the Pakistan Super League, and IPL Auctions around the corner, this series was not really supposed to be the marquee series. In hindsight, this series will be remembered forever due to the extraordinary feats of Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner.
As Ian Bishop exclaimed, “These men have achieved what many thought was impossible.”
There were other moments as well during the series—Shakib Al Hasan’s much anticipated return, Rovman Powell’s ODI resurgence, Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Mominul’s tons, and finally, the new West Indian ‘engine room’—Jermaine Blackwood, Bonner, Mayers, Joshua Da Silva, and Alzarri Joseph.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
The West Indies batting underwhelmed in the ODIs with scorecards that read 5-56 (122 all out), 8-88 (148 all out), 6-117 (177 all out). Questions will be asked for the second string squad & the necessity of mental health breaks during COVID, but the Test series saved those questions for now.
In all the collapses, one batsman stood out—Rovman Powell. 28, 41, & 47 briefly resurrected the West Indies’ innings, but he would want to convert those in the near future.
With not many runs on the board, only Akeal Hosein stood out with a 3-wicket haul.
Tests
Rakheem Cornwall joins the party. Ever since his international selection, questions have always surrounded him – whether it is his fitness or batting ability. 14 wickets in the series and great slip catches will ensure he stays in the squad for a while now.
Time to talk about the debutants—Kyle Mayers & Nkrumah Bonner. The talk of the town. Debuting at the age of 28, his maturity was on-spot with a 40 and a 4th innings 210*. Mind blowing. Successful chase of 396 with a partnership of 216. Although Bonner did not scale the heights of a century, he contributed in both matches with 17 & 86 and 90 & 38.
With the glory surrounding Mayers & Bonner, Joshua Da Silva has quietly emerged as a solid middle order option for the West Indies. Scores of 42, 20, 92, & 20 did not light the world on fire, but the partnerships surely did (99, 100, 88, 118).
Alzarri Joseph is turning out to be a gem for the West Indies. After his 86 against New Zealand recently, he came up with a 82 in Bangladesh. Future fast-bowling all rounder?
Bangladesh
ODIs
Tamim Iqbal’s batting has been effective without being flashy, unlike the pre-2015 Iqbal. A senior top-order batsman & now captain, he was responsible with scores of 44, 50, & 64. With 7360 runs in ODI, he is definitely Bangladesh’s all-time best ODI batsman. And he is only 31.
Shakib Al Hasan’s return to cricket after his 1 year ban was seamless. 4/8 in the first ODI, player of the match, and player of the series. Unfortunately, the injury cut his Test series short. Next place? IPL with KKR. What a steal (Although he is skipping the Sri Lanka Test series).
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is the next all-rounder in line after Shakib Al Hasan. Already a star, he regularly contributes with the bat and ball. In the ODI series, he was the highest wicket taker.
Speaking of Mehidy Hasan, Test match batting. 103, 57, & 31 – losing cause but kept his shoulders high.
Liton Das, another budding youngster, has largely underwhelmed in his short career so far. Averages of 28.62, 30.97, & 22.71 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, does not justify his talent. Pretty 20s and 30s are not going to get you too far in international cricket, but scores of 69, 38, 71, & 22 show growing signs of maturity for Liton Das.
Captain Mominul Haque quelled the voices around him with a second innings 115 in the first Test. 3048 runs at 41.18 with 10 centuries and best of 181 is a decent record, but he needs to play more of these “captain’s innings.”
We like to spice things up with our own awards for the series. Here they are:
Bangladesh
West Indies
Emerging Player
Mehidy Hasan Miraj, the Test batsman
Joshua Da Silva & Ian Bishop’s commentary
Surprise Package
Liton Das
Rakheem Cornwall
Broken Cricket Dream
Shakib Al Hasan (injured)
Jason Holder’s captaincy (Braithwaite permanent?)
West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021: Awards
Who would have been your Emerging Player for the West Indies Vs Bangladesh 2021 series? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Also please subscribe!
Bangladesh will fly to New Zealand for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. Then they will tour Sri Lanka in April to complete the twice postponed WTC series.
West Indies
West Indies will tour Sri Lanka for a T20I series. Returns for Chris Gayle (who cut his PSL campaign short for international return) and Fidel Edwards (Kolpak deals end with Brexit). Definitely looking like a side who is willing to go for their 3rd World T20 World Cup title.
Gayle even said he will try to play cricket till 45. Wow. GOAT.
Make Test Cricket Great Again—I have been meaning to write this article for months now, but for some reason have not been able to.
Maybe it is because of the recent bit of exhilarating Test cricket, and all is actually well and good. Or maybe there is too much to fix and Test cricket has just become a lost cause.
The reality is somewhere in the middle.
Test Cricket At Its Best
Just in the last month, we witnessed some exhilarating bits of test cricket.
Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand – we saw New Zealand’s best pace quartet, Mohammad Rizwan-Faheem Ashraf’s courage to save Pakistan from numerous collapses, Azhar Ali answering his critics, and Fawad Alam redeeming his lost decade in the last match of 2020. Almost saved the match if not for Mitchell Santner’s jumping catch.
Fast forward the next month, we saw epic lows and mountainous highs in the India vs Australia series – the 36 All Out, finally a 5th Day test match save at Sydney, and the breach of the Gabba. Then, followed England’s sweep of Sri Lanka and India’s defeat at Chennai.
All of these Test match efforts were swept under the carpet after Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers’ amazing chase of 396 against Bangladesh. The West Indies ended up winning the series 2-0. If India’s 3rd string victory in Australia was anything, West Indies’ debutants eclipsed it one step further. Winning Test matches in Bangladesh is not easy anymore. Just ask England or Australia.
Is Test Cricket Dying?
With 6 overseas victories, an enthralling draw (almost 2), and only 2 wins by a home side recently (Melbourne and Chennai 2x), we can definitely say that Test cricket is not dying.
Between the 2011 and 2019 World Cup, these matches were hard to come by. With the exception of the great South African generation, almost no team won overseas. The only competitive test series I remember is the England-New Zealand 2013-14 series. Ashes 2019 reignited the fire in Test Cricket, and post-COVID, the flame has continued to spread.
So now with the World Test Championship heating up in its final stage and teams starting to compete overseas again, is everything well and good? Absolutely not.
The Big 3 still dominate, WTCs Points Table sucks, there is no context for teams out of contention, and finances for Test cricket are a problem. Here are some of our past proposals to improve the World Test Championship.
What we wish to do in this series of articles, Make Test Cricket Great Again, is to expose problems faced by Test cricket, provide practical solutions, and go from there.
I highlighted practical for a specific purpose. Earlier, our series of articles on Test Cricket included solutions that involved each Test team playing an equal number of matches and assumed that the influence of the Big 3 will reduce over time. In the post-COVID world, this prediction is far away from the truth.
England will play 18 Tests for the WTC while Bangladesh will play around 4. Australia cancelled a Test series against South Africa which put a sour taste on the CSA-CA relationship, and it seems the WTC is basically a longwinded quadrangular series between New Zealand, England, India, and Australia.
Hence our future articles in Make Test Cricket Great Again category may include more practical insights like:
Revenue each Test playing nation generates
What It takes to host a Test match
Equity vs Equality: Innovations that can help further bridge the gap between the different teams given the current financial status and level of each team
Your Opinion Matters
So, how do you think should Test cricket should improve? We would love to share your thoughts in our future articles. We want to hear some innovative ideas (not too innovative though…the Big Bash tried too hard). Here are some other ideas that I have thought about, but maybe you all can pitch in with some more!
Getting rid of DRS umpires call (on impact)
Improving/ Standardizing pitches (Chennai 2x pitch received way too much backlash)
Promoting more money from T20 leagues to help out domestic cricketers
Having a relegation-promotion system for the WTC
Conclusion
Although Donald Trump lost his reelection bid for U.S. Presidential Election and Joe Biden prevailed—we can do something unheard of—combine both of their slogans and adopt it for our purposes:
Make Test Cricket Great Again and Restore the Soul of This Wonderful Sport.
Due to England’s bio-bubble efforts, cricket came back in these COVID circumstances. Because of India, Test cricket came alive. England are a team on the rise and dream to repeat the magic of 2012, while India are favorites to seal the other WTC final spot.
All to play for with Channel 4 back into play in the UK. The world is watching. Here is what your should expect.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
When and Where?
Here are the dates and the venue for the India Vs EnglnTest Series.
Problems of Plenty For India. Choose the XI Wisely or Risk It All?
India’s depth has been as good as ever. Looks like India can field 2 separate Tests XI, an ODI XI, and a T20I XI without any overlap with ready youngsters in the waiting.
Pant should be the first-choice keeper given his recent exploits in Australia, with Saha, KL Rahul, & KS Bharat waiting in the wings.
Shahbaz Nadeem, a veteran of 443 wickets, with match figures of 4/40 of his only Test is the 22rd player in the squad (see below). Oh yeah, that is with Vihari & Jadeja missing due to injury.
Mayank Agarwal: 5 Tests, 3 100s, best of 243, Bradman-esque average of 99.5 in India, and he may struggle to get into the XI given Sharma-Gill’s impressive showing.
Despite bench strength, India are missing their 3-in-1 player Ravindra Jadeja. In home conditions, he is especially lethal with 157 wickets at 21.06 and a healthy batting average of 38.9. Can an assortment of Axar-Ashwin-Kuldeep-Sundar-Pandya fulfill Jadeja’s role?
Virat Kohli had an underwhelming year by his standards in 2019 & 2020. Post-fatherhood and India’s remarkable victory in Australia, we may witness a Kohli 2.0 emerging. I have a feeling he will begin the series with a couple of attritional knocks and convert into a daddy hundred/double by the end of it.
England
Can The Aspiring Visitors Repeat 2012 Magic With a Mix of Youth & Experience?
‘Rest’ to Bairstow (Buttler later), Sam Curran, & Mark Wood, & Zak Crawley (training injury) will test the English, but they need not worry. The return of Rory Burns (opener), Ollie Pope (middle order), Ben Stokes (all-rounder), Moeen Ali (spinner), & Jofra Archer (fast bowler) will boost all the major areas required for an ideal Test XI.
Joe Root is all set for his 100th Test match. In the sort of form Joe Root was in his glorious performance against Sri Lanka, he is looking to convert all his 50s into double centuries this year. He is already an all-time great.
England’s chances rest with the openers. If the inexperienced Burns-Sibley-Lawrence can fend off the new ball, there is enough quality in the Root-Buttler-Stokes to trouble Indian spinners.
It will be interesting to see how England rotates their bowlers. Only one of Anderson/Broad will play alongside Jofra Archer/Mark Wood (later). Whether they go with the extra spin of Moeen Ali or the all-round swing ability of Sam Curran/Woakes will be crucial.
Key Matchups To Watch Out For
Channel 4 Vs The English Public: Channel 4 is back to free-to-air television after a long suspense. Time to inspire the next generation.
Leach-Bess Vs Ashwin: The young English had decent figures in Sri Lanka without being outstanding. This is their time to match one of the best in the business and hero of Sydney, R Ashwin. 4 good tests, and legendary status beckons. 2 poor tests, and Amar Virdi is waiting.
Ishant Sharma 1.0 was the young, lanky fast bowler that bamboozled the great Ricky Ponting. Sharma 2.0 was dubbed ‘unlucky’ as he beat the bat without any reward. Ishant 3.0 came back with spells like 7/74 and the West Indies tour. Without much cricket in 2020, a spout of injuries, and stranded at 297 wickets, it is time for Ishant Sharma 4.0.
Prediction
Verdict: 1-1 Draw
England
India
Player of the Series/MVP
Joe Root
Virat Kohli
Most Runs
Rory Burns
Virat Kohli
Most Wickets
Ben Stokes
Ravichandran Ashwin
Emerging Player
Channel 4
Ishant Sharma 4.0
Surprise Package
Ben Foakes (after 2nd Test)
Axar Patel
India Vs England 2021 Predictions
This England team has potential, with visible flaws. This Indian team is coming off an epic high, but needs to make sure to not become complacent. Who knows, England might pull an India?
Earlier we argued that the recent India vs Australia series was the greatest cricket story of all time, and the 2005 Ashes was the greatest Test series of all time.
You know what would be great?
If this upcoming India vs England 2021 series is better than them both with the Test cricket capturing Channel 4 audience’s imagination and inspiring a generation. Hoping for a high-intensity 1-1 Draw.
If you like this content about India Vs England 2021, feel free to subscribe above for FREE and follow us on our social media accounts. Comment Below as well on your predictions!
Rory Burns, 2. Dom Sibley, 3. Dan Lawrence/Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root*, 5. Jos Buttler (WK), 6. Ben Stokes, 7. Mooen Ali, 8. Dom Bess 9. Jofra Archer 10. Jack Leach, 11. James Anderson
*captain
The Squads
These are the other options in the squads. Note, India has 2 squads – for the first 2 and last 2 Tests respectively
India: Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), KL Rahul (WK), Mayank Agarwal, Hardik Pandya
India (Standby): Rahul Chahar, Kona Srikar Bharat (WK), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem
England: Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley (injury in training), Ben Foakes (WK), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
England (Standby): James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi
Test Cricket was at its best in the last couple of weeks. Fawad Alam & Mohammad Rizwan almost survived four sessions after being down 0/2 on Day 4 against New Zealand. India’s Australia tour has included everything from a 36 All Out and an XI of injured players to an exhilarating Day 5 finish.
Test Cricket is beautiful, and we get to see more of it with England-Sri Lanka. Both England and Sri Lanka are coming off South Africa tours (with contrasting results). Interestingly, England were in Sri Lanka long before Sri Lanka themselves.
While England have managed to play a Team Root Vs Team Buttler, Sri Lanka are still raw from all the injuries in the South Africa series.
Well anyway, here is our Series Preview! Read till the end to check out our predictions. We have a table for our predictions – Most Runs, Wickets, Emerging Player, Surprise Package, and MVP! Let us know who you think will win these in the COMMENTS below!
Last time England toured Sri Lanka in 2018, they crushed the home team 3-0. This time, however, they will be without key players in Rory Burns (paternity leave), Ben Stokes & Jofra Archer (rested), and from 2018, Adil Rashid (no longer a Test prospect) & Moeen Ali (COVID/quarantine).
If England can repeat their 2018 heroics, they will need the help of the 5 Bs-BBC nominated Broad, Buttler, Bairstow, Bess, and Ben (Foakes), the centurion on debut last time around. A couple of wicket-keeper batsmen, an off spinner, and a fast bowling enforcer, they all need to chip in.
The Fab 4. Or is the Fab 5? Shall I say the Big 3? You know exactly who I will be talking about here—none other than Joe Root. Too much has been made of his conversion rate, and Babar Azam ‘taking over’ Joe Root. In all reality, Root is still a stellar player with an amazing record. I argue that the fact that England do not seem to need him as much as the other countries is a reflection of the strength of this English team, not the fall of a rising career. I hope he answers his critics with the bat. Anyway this rant may become an article some other day.
Sri Lanka
Middle Order The Key
Angelo Mathews is back after missing the South Africa series, and Chandimal should be back after getting injured in SL-SA first test. A Chandimal-Thirimanne-Mathews middle order was an adequate replacement for Dilshan-Sangakkara-Jayawardene, at least in Test cricket. Unfortunately, it did not materialize due to inconsistency & injuries.
If the middle order rises, with Karunaratne’s stability and flair from the Kusal’s (Perera and Mendis), they will finally have a consistent & complete batting order.
The real question is can they bounce back from the injuries? Who will be fit? If the stalwart Dilruwan Perera & another spinner in the form of Embuldeniya/PWH de Silva can hold one end, and 2 out of Shanaka/Lakmal/Rajitha/Fernando/Kumara can literally stand up, this Sri Lankan team might be a handful at home.
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Key Matchups To Watch Out For
England’s Top Order Vs Sri Lanka’s Pacers: With Sibley and Crawley now established in this line up and Bairstow, Root, & possible debutant Dan Lawrence to follow, Lakmal/Shanaka vs Sibley/Crawley will be key.
Jonny Bairstow & Angelo Mathews Vs The Rest of the World: Bairstow & Mathews have both had interesting careers so far. Both expected to be the next great things for England & Sri Lanka respectively, they have had their moments. Unfortunately, though, they have also had their share of administrative/media run-ins + fitness issues/technical fault to never establish their position in Test Cricket for long. Make or break for both.
Lankan Spinners Vs England Middle Order: If Sri Lanka are to emerge victorious, spinners would need to contribute heavily. England’s middle order succumb to spin—Sri Lanka win. England’s middle order battles hard—England has the upper hand. As easy as that.
The Broken Dream
England: Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali’s South Africa tour began with a resounding statement of giving it all in every format for the final leg of his career. Well, England blew South Africa out of the park in the T20Is, and Ali was not needed. The ODI series? Abandoned. Fast forward to Sri Lanka—finally expected to play in the turning tracks of Galle, Ali got COVID and is out of the reckoning.
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne
Thirimanne debuted way back in 2010, in the Dilshan-Sangakkara-Jayawardane-Malinga generation. He looked a wonderful prospect and has played some decent innings across formats. However, an average of 22.68 after 36 Tests with a solitary hundred reflects the trajectory of his career. At 31, he might still be at his peak. Will Thirimanne get another chance/can he justify his selection? Or are his international cricket dreams over? I guess we will find out.
Given Sri Lanka’s lack of match practice and injured bodies, England are going to win the first Test against Sri Lanka, and win big.
In the 2nd game, Sri Lanka will be down and out for three days before fierce defense/rain will save the game, courtesy Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews. It would be a perfect sequel to Pakistan’s Azhar-Alam-Rizwan and India’s Pant-Pujara-Vihari-Ashwin Asian resistance.
Let us know your thoughts on the Sri Lanka Vs England Test Series. WHAT IS YOUR EVENTUAL SCORELINE? Predictions?
Where is Test Cricket heading? COMMENT BELOW, SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND LET US KNOW!
My Starting XI:
These are my starting XI for the first Test (assuming everyone is available in terms of COVID and injuries).
With the injury form Sri Lanka are bringing in from South Africa, I am going in with an extra bowler with Shanaka batting at #7.
Bairstow is expected to slot in at #3. I would love to see Ben Foakes in this series, but it is unlikely that he will make the XI in the 1st due due to the presence of Bairstow and Buttler. Maybe they can fit in all 3 and only play one out of Broad/Anderson like 2018, but this would be my personal first choice.
Dom Sibley, 2. Zak Crawley, 3. Jonny Bairstow, 4. Joe Root*, 5. Dan Lawrence, 6. Jos Buttler (WK), 7. Sam Curran/Chris Woakes, 8. Stuart Broad, 9. James Anderson, 10. Dom Bess, 11. Jack Leach
Both New Zealand and Pakistan had multiple stories in this series—Kane Williamson & Kyle Jamieson’s continued 2020 brilliance, Fawad Alam & Daryl Mitchell’s fairytale hundreds, Azhar Ali’s revival & Shan Masood’s decline.
Here is our review of both the T20I and Test series between New Zealand and the Pakistan—the rising stars, falling gems, broken dreams, and much more!
READ TILL THE END FOR THE WORLD T20I WORLD CUP WATCH!
This series mirrored the recently concluded New Zealand Vs West Indies series. In the WI series, the T20I series was dominated by Glenn Phillips. Similarly, this time it was another top order, wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert.
The similarity does not end here. In both these series, Kane Williamson won the Player of the Match award for the first Test match and Kyle Jamieson won that award for the second Test match. While Jamieson received the Player of the Series trophy for the West Indies series, Williamson won the Pakistan series award.
Oh yeah, Williamson scored double centuries in both.
Mohammad Hafeez keeps improving with age. The 99* in the 2nd T20I was one of the innings of the year albeit in a losing cause.
In absence of Babar Azam, stand-in captain Shadab Khan showed maturity with his 42 (32) in the first T20I, taking Pakistan to a decent score after being 20/4. Rizwan, similarly, took responsibility in the third match with a match-winning 89 (59). The Babar-Rizwan-Shadab leadership group holds well for the future.
Abdullah Shafique (2/3 matches), Haider Ali (3/3), and Khushdil Shah (3/3) all had opportunities, but could not capitalize with series totals of 0, 22, and 43 runs respectively. With a struggling top order, maybe some re-shuffling is required. At a T20I strike rate of 145.89, Imad Wasim at #8 was a bit wasted.
End of Wahab Riaz? 0/64 with economy of 13.24 economy (4.5 overs). I am sure he will fight & comeback as always but time is running out.
Tests
Fawad Alam, one of the unluckiest player of the last decade, had the last laugh at the end of 2020. 11 years since his last century, Alam scored 102 (296), battling along with Azhar Ali & Rizwan for six and a half hours. Good effort by Pakistan, dragging the game from 0/2 to 271 in 123.3 overs. Almost saved the game if not for Santner’s jumping catch.
Pakistan scored 239, 271, 297, & 186. Sounds respectable right? Well if the #7 and #8 had not done rearguard efforts thanks to Mohammad Rizwan (71, 60, 61, 10) & Faheem Ashraf (91, 19, 48, 28), Pakistan would have been skittled for not too many. End of the road for Shan Masood and gully-catch-thrower Haris Sohail?
Masood + Haris = 8 innings, 38 runs, 200 balls.
Afridi + Abbas = 8 innings, 34 runs, 224 balls.
The bowlers had a horrid test series—usually Pakistan’s strong suit. Although Afridi and Abbas were disciplined, the wicket column was dry. Both Naseem and Yasir Shah were off-color with Yasir’s overseas stats continuing to worsen. Comeback story Zafar Gohar (missed Test debut in 2015 because he overslept) went wicketless.
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New Zealand
T20Is
Tim Seifert shows his class – 57 (43),84* (63), 35 (20) at 139.68 strike rate with 7 sixes.
Jacob Duffy – what a debut! Player of the Match performance with 4/33.
Devon Conway has solidified his spot for the T20I World Cup with 63 (45) in the last T20I. Looks like Ross Taylor is on the way out in this format….
Nicholls might have had the rub of the green with Pakistan’s dropped catches, but now has scores of 174 and 157 against West Indies and Pakistan. Not only is he scoring hundreds, he is beginning to score daddy hundreds.
Kyle Jamieson has taken everybody by surprise. A Test batting average of 56.5, bowling average of 13.27, four 5-wicket hauls and 1 10-wicket haul in his short 6-Test career, he is my ICC Allrounder for the next decade.
Tim Southee picked up his 300th Test wicket. What a gem this guy has been for New Zealand cricket. What a gem Boult-Southee are. Here are their uncannily similar stats in the past decade (courtesy Twitter).
We like to spice things up with our own awards at the end of the series. Here they are:
New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020
New Zealand
Pakistan
Emerging Player
Jacob Duffy
Faheem Ashraf & Mohammad Rizwan
Surprise Package
Tim Seifert & Daryl Mitchell
Fawad Alam’s 2nd coming
Broken Cricket Dream
Disappointed Fans (Because there weren’t any)
The FIELDING, Wahab Riaz, & Haris Sohail
Who would have been your Emerging Player? Surprise Player? Broken Cricket Dream? Let us know below WITH COMMENTS! Like, share with friends & family, & don’t forget to hit the orange button below!
And what do they get for being the #1 Test team? A mere FOUR TESTS in 2021. England get 17*.
Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell
Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner (played with a broken toe – Passion, commitment, but still needs to be careful there)
When Ross Taylor and BJ Watling are your 9th/10th best players in recent times, you know this is a damn good Test team.
Matt Henry had an understated outing, while Adam Milne is playing the Big Bash. Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Sodhi, Blundell, Conway, Duffy, Phillips, Jeet Raval, Will Young – New Zealand’s depth in all formats is astounding.
*schedule may be subject to change given current circumstances
Pakistan
I predicted a 2-1 T20I win for Pakistan earlier in the Series Preview, but maybe I was too hopeful there. The T20I series looked close on paper, but New Zealand were, by far, the better side.
On the other hand, the Test result of 2-0, but losses of 101 runs/innings defeat does not reflect the true nature of the series. Pakistan had their moments. New Zealand had their moments. The only difference? New Zealand capitalized. Pakistan dropped. Azhar Ali’s 93 might have saved his career, but Masood & Sohail might be replaced by Babar and Imam (or who knows,…Asad Shafiq, anybody?).
In any case, looking forward, 2021 holds positive news for Pakistan as both South Africa and England are to travel to Pakistan after more than a decade of hiatus for a historic tour. In regards to the World T20I, apart from Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, several tweaks need to be made. They are a dangerous side if they can click together.
And finally….Hasan Ali is back.
In Quaid-e-Azam trophy, he was the Player of the Series and Player of the Match in the tied final. 106* (61) with 7 sixes in the final. Class player, had a dip, should make a comeback at the next tour to South Africa.
We are doing a World T20 Watch from now till the T20I world cup next year. After the end of each T20I series, we look at the current predictions of the WT20 squad as we get closer. Here is our predicted T20 XI line up and 15-man squad as of now based on this series.
Pakistan
Babar Azam*, 2. Mohammad Rizwan (WK), 3. Haider Ali, 4. Mohammad Hafeez, 5. Shadab Khan, 6. Imad Wasim, 7. Faheem Ashraf, 8. Hasan Ali, 9. Haris Rauf, 10. Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11. Usman Qadir
Squad: Khusdil Shah/ Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed/Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hasnain/Mohammad Musa, Wahab Riaz/ Mohammad Amir comeback?
New Zealand
Since the next WT20 is in India, New Zealand might go with both Santner and Sodhi in the XI.
Martin Guptill, 2. Tim Seifert (WK), 3. Kane Williamson*, 4. Glenn Phillips, 5. Devon Conway, 6. Mitchell Santner, 7. James Neesham, 8. Kyle Jamieson, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Ish Sodhi
Squad: Colin de Grandhomme, Mark Chapman/Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner/Jacob Duffy, Doug Bracewell/Scott Kuggeleijn
*Captain
What did you think about this New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020 Series? What are your World T20 line ups? COMMENT BELOW, and let us know what you think!
India vs Australia Test Series — this is the moment that all cricket fans were waiting for this year.
Credit to England, cricket is back on track. Since the English summer, we have had the IPL and other leagues, and recently the truncated England vs South Africa and New Zealand vs West Indies series’. Yet, this is the moment that most cricket fans have been waiting for—the Australian Test summer—Boxing Day, New Year’s, and much more.
With the World Test Championship rules changed and the Kiwis sweeping their series against the Windies, India are in danger of losing the Top 2 spot. They defeated the Australians in 2018, but can they repeat their success?
Read till the end to check out our predictions. Let us know who you think will win in the COMMENTS below!
When and Where?
Here are the dates and the venue for the India Vs Australia Test Series.
India: Top Order Will Make or Break India’s Chances
India’s most famous recent tours of Australia had top order contributions. Sehwag-Chopra in 2003 & Agarwal-Vihari in 2018 (last two tests). More than number runs, denting the new ball mattered, which laid the platform for the likes of Dravid and Pujara later on.
Virat Kohli will be on paternity leave after the first test in Adelaide, a place where he has 3 hundreds in six innings including the twin 115-141 during that 2014 match. Can Virat continue his love affair with Adelaide?
Since his stellar overseas tours of 2014, Rahane has failed to go to the next level. Don’t get me wrong – 65 Tests, 4203 runs at 42.88 average with 11 tons and a best of 188 is still very good. Yet in order for Rahane to elevate to legendary status, he still needs a series like Pujara 2018 or a Laxman 281 kind of knock.
Australia: Injuries Give Australia a Headache
With injuries to Warner and Pucovski, Matthew Wade and Joe Burns have received the backing from the management. Joe Burns in the last 9 FC innings has scores of 7, 29, 0, 10, 11, 4, 0, 0, 1 – the last 4 against India A. Six years since his debut, he has yet to cement a place despite 4 centuries. Last chance for Joe?
Labuschagne is one of my favorite players from the recent crop. Ashes 2019 is best remember for Steve Smith’s (and Ben Stokes’) heroics, but Marnus has not looked back since his debut as a concussion substitute. 14 Tests, 1459 runs at an average of 63.43, and 4 tons already with best of 215.
India: India need 2nd Innings Shami In the First Innings
Shami has been bowling at his best since IPL 2020. In test cricket, he is known for his 2nd innings late spells with reverse swing. Can he deliver up front with early breakthroughs this time?
India’s weak link will be the 4th bowler. Umesh Yadav has delivered overseas in patches and Saini/Siraj are raw. Who will stand up in the absence of Ishant Sharma?
Ravichandran Ashwin’s overseas record is not the best and Kuldeep Yadav is waiting in the wings. He will need to make the most of his opportunities and take wickets, not just keep things tight.
Australia: Nathan Lyon The Key
Along with Ashwin, Nathan Lyon has kept the art of off-spin alive in the 2010s. 10 away from 400 wickets, a lot will rest on his shoulders.
Australia have won 6 out of 6 Day/Night matches, 3 of them at Adelaide. The key to all of those wins were their fast bowlers. If Starc and Hazlewood make the ball talk early, it would be tough for India to win in the pink ball test.
Australia may need to rest their fast bowlers given the long tour. Expect James Pattinson to play during the latter test matches.
Tim Paine vs Rishabh Pant: The banter was hilarious during 2014 via the stump mic. Watch out for more such encounters, as well as a couple of game changing knocks from both.
Pujara and Vihari vs Australian fast bowlers: These two have the potential to tire out the Australian bowling line up.
Cameron Green: This new young allrounder caught the eye of many in his ODI debut. Can bowl 140+ kph and already has 5 centuries in 21 FC games. If fit, he will definitely make an impact. Mark my words.
The Broken Dream
India: Ishant Sharma
Ishant just LOVES Australia. His debut series in 2008 is best remembered for outmatching the great Ricky Pontingand was the pillar of the bowling line up in 2018-19. How much will India miss Ishant? How much will Ishant miss cricket? Just 3 away from 300 Test wickets, but has not played a first class game since February before getting injured at the beginning of the IPL.
Australia: Will Pucovski
After breaking into the squad with wonderful domestic form, it was expected that Pucovski would make his debut. In just 23 first class games, he averages 54.5 with 6 hundreds and best of 255*. Concussion during the India A vs Australia A has unfortunately, delayed his Test debut.
Prediction
Verdict: 1-1 Draw
Without the Sharmas, Kohli’s early departure, and India’s relatively inexperienced openers, this will not be as easy as 2018. Pujara’s 2018-19 tour was once in a generation, and I doubt it will be repeated (if he gets anywhere close to that form, India surely will be in the drivers seat).
The home team Australia are back with Smith and hopefully Warner later in the tour, but with numerous injuries, a long tour, and bio-bubble fatigue creeping in, Australia are not favorites either. Expect rest for fast bowlers from both teams in a few games.
This is a weird one to predict, isn’t it? Neither team holds an upper hand, but I am hoping for exciting, gritty series. Some attritional cricket, line and length bowling, and maybe even 5th day last session match-saving draws? Hence, I am going for a 1-1 draw.
Which team will give in first?
Let us know your thoughts on the India Vs Australia Test Series. WHAT IS YOUR EVENTUAL SCORELINE? COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!
My Starting XI:
These are my starting XI for the first Test (assuming everyone is available in terms of COVID and injuries).
Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine* (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc/James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
*captain
The Squads
These are the other options in the squads. Note, India has 2 squads – for the first 2 and last 2 Tests respectively
New Zealand vs West Indies – a mouth watering series start that ended completely one-sided.
There were plenty of moments nevertheless. In the T20Is, we witnessed an Eden Park thriller, a Pollard special, the Conway-Phillips record-breaking partnership, while there was the Williamson double, Blackwood-Joseph’s resistance, and Jamieson’s brilliance to name a few during the Tests.
The Kiwis swept both the T20I and Test series with key contributions from multiple players, while the West Indies began the tour with high hopes, had some bright moments, but yet again, went down without a fight.
Same old story.
Anyway, without further ado, here is our review of both the T20I and Test series between New Zealand and the West Indies.
Kieron Pollard continues his brilliant T20 form with a brilliant counterattacking 75* (37) with 8 sixes.
Andre Fletcher is back – 34(14), 20(14), 4*(3). 31 balls – 5 sixes. Short but impactful – suits WI’s style.
Hetmyer and Pooran needs to up their game in the international arena with another poor series.
Tests
Jermaine Blackwood establishes himself at the #6 spot with another display of counterattacking batting. 104 with a battling 69 in the second Test as well. Good hand by Joseph in the 155 partnership as well.
Roston Chase, once the driver of the engine room, now a liability? Struggling with batting form.
Joshua De Silva and Chemar Holder provided glimpses of West Indies’ future with debuts. The former with a maiden half century and the latter with the smooth bowling action
New Zealand
T20Is
Devon Conway gets a chance & makes it count – 41 (29), 65*(37). Great story this after domestic toil and leaving South Africa.
Glenn Phillips cements his place with a brilliant 108, Ross Taylor loses his. End of Taylor in T20Is?
Lockie Ferguson may be the most impactful T20 bowler at the moment. Just trace back to the 1st T20I – WI 58-0 in 3.1 overs. Enter Ferguson. 12 balls later, West Indies 5-59. Ferguson ends with 5-21.
The 2010 generation of Guptill-Williamson-Taylor-Watling-Boult-Southee will have to end some day but with Conway-Phillips-Seifert-Jamieson and even Will Young (debut)/Ravindra (NZ A), New Zealand are not going anywhere.
T20 cricket is not a worry for the West Indies. Yes the Windies are currently sitting at #10, but their style of playing still works in T20 cricket. Given their best fit line up (Andre Russell, cough cough), they are still contenders to defend their T20I World Cup.
For Test matches, it is just another story. Post-COVID, the win against England gave me hope, especially with Gabriel-Roach-Holder-Joseph, but check this out:
World Test Championship III: Implementing the Proposed Points Table
After the conclusion of the England-Pakistan Test series, we decided to update the World Test Championship Table based on our new proposed system in Part II of the segment, WTC: Good Structure But Needs Structural Improvement.
Earlier in Part I, How can the World Test Championship improve?, we described how the Big 3 is creating an imbalance in the World Test Championship via ‘marquee’ series’ like The Ashes and what can be done to improve it.
World Test Championship: Current System
Let us recall why we are discussing changing the World Test Championship (WTC) Table in the first place. Here are some of the flaws that WTC possesses today:
Number of Tests Played is uneven: England play 22, while Pakistan/Sri Lanka play 13 each.
Currently no distinction is made for Home/Away advantage: So far, England have played 11/4 (H/A), while New Zealand have played 2/5 (H/A).
Number of points fluctuate depending on # of games per series: Unfair to shorter series, and hence, discriminating against lower-ranked (and less financially stable) teams.
All-or-Nothing System:Test matches occur over 5 days or a max-of-15 sessions. One session can have a huge impact on the series, as the First Test of Eng-Pak exhibited. Yet, the points are awarded on an all-or-nothing basis.
Table I: Current World Test Championship Table
Team
Series
Tests
Points
P
W
L
D
P
W
L
D
T
India
4
3
1
0
9
7
2
0
0
360/480
Australia
3
2
0
1
10
7
2
1
0
296/360
England
4
3
0
1
15
8
4
3
0
292/480
New Zealand
3
1
1
1
7
3
4
0
0
180/360
Pakistan
4*
1
2
0
8
2
3
3
0
166/420
Sri Lanka
2
0
1
1
4
1
2
1
0
80/240
West Indies
2
0
2
0
5
1
4
0
0
40/240
South Africa
2
0
2
0
7
1
6
0
0
24/240
Bangladesh
2*
0
1
0
3
0
3
0
0
0/180
World Test Championship Table: Current System
*Note: Bangladesh tour of Pakistan was postponed after 1 Test match (out of a 2-Test series) due to COVID. Points are calculated as if the 2-match series will be completed eventually.
Brief Review – WTC Points Table Proposed System
Recall, our points distribution proposal is a two-tiered system, based on (1) session by session data and (2) Home/Away respectively.
In our proposed system, each team plays 12 Home/12 Away tests for a total of 24 matches over 2 and a half years, where the total points possible for each team is 1200 points, for an average of 50 points per match. The criteria is as follows:
In the last article, we displayed the process for computing the session by session and overall total score for the West Indies-England series.
After the completion of the England-Pakistan series, we went back and similarly computed session by session points for every Test match in the WTC thus far…by hand.
After analyzing the 34 Test matches completed so far (with maximum of 510 sessions), we came up with the following summary:
Table II: (New) Series and Session Summary
Teams
Matches
Sessions
Played (H/A)
Won (H/A)
Lost (H/A)
Drawn (H/A)
Won
Drawn
WO/BL
Sessions Left
India
9 (5/4)
7 (5/2)
2 (0/2)
0 (0/0)
56
19
3
30
Australia
10 (5/5)
7 (5/2)
2 (0/2)
1 (0/1)
68
18
9
15
England
15 (11/4)
8 (5/3)
4 (3/1)
3 (3/0)
77
45
32
16
Pakistan
8 (3/5)
2 (2/0)
3 (0/3)
3 (1/2)
26
17
20
7
New Zealand
7 (2/5)
3 (2/1)
4 (0/4)
0 (0/0)
26
14
7
12
Sri Lanka
4 (1/3)
1 (1/0)
2 (1/1)
1 (0/1)
11
11
14
2
West Indies
5 (2/3)
1 (0/1)
4 (2/2)
0 (0/0)
7
21
8
0
South Africa
7 (4/3)
1 (1/0)
6 (3/3)
0 (0/0)
20
13
4
4
Bangladesh
3 (0/3)
0 (0/0)
3 (0/3)
0 (0/0)
2
5
0
0
Proposed World Test Championship Table: Session Points
*WO/BL – Wash out/Bad Light
II. Updated Points System – Total Points Based on H/A
After computing the (I.) total session points, we add the (II.) base Home and Away score. Hence, the updated World Test Championship Table looks as follows:
Table III: New Points Table
I.Session Points (H/A)
II.Points (Home)
II.Points (Away)
Points Total
%
Rank (By %)
Rank (By Total)
Rank by Session (without H/A)
India
194 (130/64)
210/230
112/216
322/446
72.19%
1
3
2
Australia
193 (118/75)
198/230
135/270
333/500
66.6%
2
2
3
England
267 (196/71)
284/506
143/216
427/702
60.83%
3
1
1
Pakistan
127 (63/64)
103/138
78/270
181/408
44.36%
4
4
4
New Zealand
97 (49/48)
80/92
73/270
153/362
42.27%
5
5
5
Sri Lanka
51 (29/22)
45/92
34/108
79/200
39.5%
6
7
7
West Indies
43 (8/35)
8/92
59/162
67/254
26.37%
7
8
8
South Africa
65 (49/16)
65/184
16/162
81/346
23.4%
8
6
6
Bangladesh
9 (-/9)
N/A
9/162
9/162
5.55%
9
9
9
Proposed World Test Championship Table: Session Points – Based on Home and Away
Observations
We went ahead with percentage (%) of points won for the time being, since each team has not (and will not) play the same number of Test matches.
Pakistan and New Zealand switch positions as compared to Table I (4/5).
The most recent series, Eng-Pak actually received 66-26 points. According to our method, the scores would have been 82-62, which is a much better reflection of the series (and given that Pakistan was the away team).
If we had utilized Rank (By Total) as in the current system, we would have England #1, Australia #2, India #3, and South Africa up to #6, who have not had a good WTC so far.
Australia has one extra Test match drawn away from home compared to India. Hence, they are rewarded and are ahead based on total points. If we disregard H/A, India would be #2.
*Fun Fact: 32 sessions involving England (both home and away) were impacted by wash-outs or rained out, which is more than 2 Test matches or almost 11 days.
Conclusion
Note, at this point in time, the Proposed Table and the Actual Table look quite similar, but we attribute it to the small sample size, especially for teams ranked below 5.
We conjecture that as teams play similar amount of matches, our table will benefit the lower ranked teams and hence make the championship more competitive.
We will continue to update this table as more WTC matches are played.
In the meanwhile, let us know what suggestions you have to improve this table. Comment below, and we will see if it is possible to implement the idea!
Anyway, share, subscribe, and follow us on social media!
Source: Sincere Thanks to Vandit for helping in analyzing session by session data and computing overall points.
Image Courtesy: South Africa vs England, at Newlands, Cape Town Jan 2005, Test Day 3 Louis Rossouw /CC via 2.0
New Zealand: Played-7, won-3, lost-4. South Africa: Played-7, won-1, lost-6.
Looks pretty close, right? Wrong. New Zealand are currently sitting in 4th place of the World Test Championship (WTC) table with 180 points while South Africa is languishing near the bottom with just 24 points. Even though these two teams are separated by two losses, South Africa are behind by a seemingly insurmountable 156 points.
The number of points awarded in the WTC fluctuates depending on the number of matches played per series. A 2-match series is allotted 60 points per game, while 3, 4, and 5 match-series are awarded 40, 30, and 24 points respectively. Although dead-rubbers are eliminated in this format, some games now are worth more than others.
England lost the first test of the Ashes and the Wisden trophy, but it did not cost them much since the series consisted of more than 2 games. Teams playing 2-match series cannot afford the same degree of flexibility.
The Catch:
First, an all-or-nothing point system for a 5-day match is not justified. Test matches are enthralling to watch because of their ebb and flow. One Stuart Broad session can completely turn the series around or Faf Du Plessis-esque blockathon for multiple sessions might save a test match. Therefore, session-by-session match-ups need to be considered, not only the overall result. Second and more importantly, we need to incorporate home and away matches properly.
The Statistic:
India and Australia are classic examples. Over the last decade, India has won 36 matches, drawn 9, and lost merely 3 at home from the 48 played. However, they only won 17, drew 12, and lost 26 from the 55 played abroad (even this is skewed by away games played at the subcontinent). Similarly, Australia has a 36-9-9 record at home versus 17-7-25 away.
It has always been tough to win abroad, but in the last decade, the situation has worsened. In the 2010s, every country had a win-loss (W/L) ratio less than 1, meaning they lost more away than they won. Contrastingly, in the 2000s, Australia and South Africa had W/L greater than 1, while India and England were close with 0.8 and 0.739 W/L respectively. In order to better incentivize winning abroad, more emphasis should be provided on winning away games.
The Inspiration:
Last week, we discussed how the various ‘marquee’ series’ were skewing the World Test Championship (WTC). We proposed that every team should be allocated exactly 24 games against nine different opponents over a period of two and a half years. Each team plays a total of six 2-match series along with 5-4-3 or 4-4-4 distribution against the remaining three opponents. Now that each team is on a level-playing field with an equal number of games, we can move on to solve the issues plaguing the point system.
We will take inspiration from the other major innovation the ICC came up with apart from WTC to contextualize the cricket calendar—the ODI World Cup Super League (WSL). The points system for the Super League provides a more competitive environment than the WTC.
For instance, in the WSL,10 points are assigned for a win, 5 for tie or no-result, and 0 for a loss. On the other hand, for a 3-match test series, winning constitutes 40 points, tie 20 points, draw 13 points, and defeat 0 points. Theoretically, bouncing back from a 3-match series loss is possible in the WSL, unlike a similar scenario in the WTC.
The Proposal:
So how do we fix this? We need to combine the ODI Super League system, provide a mechanism for home versus away, and distribute points across sessions. The overall points distribution for one match will consist of (1) base point system like WSL adjusted on a home/away basis, and (2) points awarded per session of a test match.
Here is our proposal. Note, each team plays 24 matches total-12 home and 12 away.
Every test match has a maximum of 15 sessions (3 sessions – 5 days).
If the match finishes before the last session on the 5th day, the winning team is awarded the points for the remaining sessions
Points Possible Per Match:30
Home – Max Points Possible: 360 (12*30)
Away – Max Points Possible: 360 (12*30)
Next, we provide criteria for home and away as displayed below:
Points
Win
Draw
Lose
Total
Home
16
8
0
192
Away
24
12
0
288
Mean
20
10
0
240
Home and Away – Points Distribution
Maximum points for Home team: 360 +192 = 552 points.
Maximum points for Away team: 360 + 288 = 648 points.
Total possible points: 552 + 648 = 1200
Average Points/Match: 1200/24 = 50 points per match.
The Example
As a demonstration, we take the recently concluded West-Indies tour of England series, which ended in 1-2. In the current format, West Indies got 40 points, while England got 80. We looked back at the scorecards in detail and allocated the points per session:
WI
Drawn
Wash- Out
Eng
1st Test
4 (8)
7 (7)
2 (2)
2 (4)
2nd Test
2 (4)
4 (4)
3 (3)
6 (12)
3rd Test
0 (0)
4 (4)
3 (3)
8 (16)
Sess.
6 (12)
15 (15)
8 (8)
16 (32)
West Indies vs England – Session by Session
*Sess:Sessions (Points Awarded)
We then repeated the process for each test and computed the following result:
WI Total
Eng Total
WI Away
Eng Home
1st Test
17
13
17+24: 41/54
13+0: 13/46
2nd Test
11
19
11+0: 11/54
19+16: 35/46
3rd Test
7
23
7 +0: 7/54
23+16: 39/46
Total
35
55
35+24: 59/162
55+32: 87/138
West Indies vs England – Total Points
Altogether, even though 59-87 is not as close as the 40-80 from the earlier system, it is still much better and keeps the hope of a comeback alive. Had West-Indies survived the final session of the second test, they would have earned a few points in the session-category as well as received 12 points for the draw in an away match, thereby closing the gap.
In the 45 sessions during the series, West-Indies won 6, England won 16, and 23 were either evenly matched or washed out.
West Indies were playing for a maximum of 54 points per test, while England were playing for a maximum of 46 points per test.
The Conclusion:
Is this system perfect? Not quite, but it is definitely an improvement on the current system. But imagine, teams trying to survive an extra session or opposition teams bowling aggressively to finish the game in an early session due to this extra incentive. This system is not as simple as the current format, but at least it is not as complex as the D-L system!
Please let us know if you have any suggestions in the comments below, share with friends and family, and subscribe!
Stay tuned for Part III coming up – where we redo the WTC Points Table with our method and compare it with the skewed table currently in place.
Image Courtesy: Leighhubbard, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
