The World Test Championship (WTC) finals decide the ultimate winners of the longest format of the game. Teams toil hard for a span of two years and fight with each other to have the best point percentage. The top two teams face each other in the final showdown at a neutral venue and the winner gets the prestigious mace. The last two editions of the WTC had two different winners but the runners-up were the same. New Zealand clinched the inaugural title while Australia clinched the latest one whereas Team India lost both encounters with huge margins.
On Sunday, May 11, India lost their second consecutive WTC Final to Australia at the Oval. Chasing a mammoth 444, Rohit Sharma & Co were bowled out for 234 and lost the game by 209 runs. Speaking with the broadcasters in the post-match presentation ceremony, the Indian captain suggested a 3-match series to decide the WTC winners.
“You work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it. Test cricket is all about finding that rhythm, finding that momentum as well. So, I think, if in the next cycle, if it is possible, a three-match series would be ideal,” Rohit had said.
Agreeing with Rohit Sharma, Brad Hogg agreed with his thoughts on the WTC final, proposing a new format to determine the winner of the mace by dividing the teams into two divisions, each consisting of four teams
“I agree with Rohit Sharma that the WTC Final should be a three-match series, but this time it was a one-match final and Australia won that, and I am not taking away from that. It is about the game moving forward. I think there should be two divisions with four teams each – the top four teams in division one and the rest in division two. The associates can be in division three and work their way up,” Hogg said in his YouTube video.
Hogg further elaborated on the details of his proposed format changes for the WTC.
“The top two teams in division one play a three-match final on the home soil of the top team in the table. Then the teams ranked three and four in division one play against teams that finished top two in division two,” the former spinner said.
“Team three of division one will play at home against team two of division two, and then team one of division two will play team three of division one,” Hogg added.
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