It is the season of changes in the world of cricket, the latest one has been introduced by the ICC now, with respect to the World Test Championship. The WTC final will be played in June, and the next cycle starts three months from now. The apex cricket council is now considering introducing a bonus point system for victories by big margins and away wins.
Discussion for WTC Points System to Take Place in April
As per the current rule, a win gets a team 12 points, with 6 in case of a tie, and four for a draw. The loophole right now is, there is no consideration of how well or badly a team played. In short there is no reward for an exceptional, dominating win. But all could change now from the India vs England series in June, that will see both the giants play five Tests.
“In fact, issues such as giving bonus points for innings wins, etc, has been in continuous discussion from the beginning of the WTC, as many teams felt that due weight is not getting for wins against big teams,” PTI quoted a source close to the developments as saying. “So, such topics have been a part of discussions, and this could again come up for deliberations,” the source added.
Could Kick in From India vs England Series
The meeting for the ICC would take place in April, and if and when the rule is applied, the teams can claim for a bonus point; or wins against bigger opponents like India, Australia could lead to an additional point. “Yeah, it’s a good move if it really happens. The teams will be more motivated to go for results, as we could see some exciting games,” a former India player was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Yeah, it will be a motivating factor for, you know, those ‘smaller’ teams, Look, when New Zealand beat India last year, it was a historic win for them as not many teams came here and beat us. But they did not got any extra points for it,” he said.
“While winning away from home in itself can act as a motivating factor, now the teams will have that carrot in front of them — extra points, if it really happens,” he added.
