Sydney, Jul 29: A new proposal under consideration is all set to revolutionise Test cricket, with the two best nations to play a grand final possibly over six days or, even until there is a result.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland is confident his ICC counterparts will take their first steps towards a points-based system since a detailed plan devised by former Kiwi Test skipper Martin Crowe last September on how a Test championship would work.
Crowe, who is a member of the MCC’s world cricket committee, formulated a knockout Test championship to be held every year with a grand final to be played at Lord’s.
Teams would gain points for each Test they win and bonuses for large victories, which would be charted on a ladder to determine the top two sides in the world after the allocated season, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Any championship would radically change the context of series, with points on the line even in dead-rubber matches, and should improve ratings for broadcasters.
“A Test championship is a good initiative and brings a climax and a big global event around Test cricket. All the ICC global events forever and a day have been for the shorter forms of the game …,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland said a grand final could be held at a neutral venue, and if there was only room for one match, it could be a timeless Test or run over six days to maximise chances of a result.
It is unclear whether the crowded future tours program, which demands that each Test nation play each other home and away within the four-year framework, could be remodelled to allow a grand final each year.