The International Cricket Council (ICC) is pondering to revive the World Test Championship (WTC) format for the upcoming 2025-27 cycle. The main aim for ICC is to make the WTC a more competitive and challenging format for all the Test playing teams. ICC is planning to introduce Bonus point system to make it a level playing field for the all teams involved in the WTC competition.
An implementation of this rule will enable lower ranked teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan stay in the hunt for WTC Final spot. If any of these teams or for that matter South Africa and New Zealand secure wins against higher ranked teams like Australia, India and England then they would be rewarded with a bonus point in WTC cycle. This potential rule will bolster England's chances of making it to the WTC Final as they always end up playing most of the matches against either Australia or India.
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A revised bonus points system would have helped New Zealand qualify for WTC Final as they beat India 3-0 in away series in 2024. The Kiwis, who finished the WTC 2023-25 cycle on the fourth position, would have likely got a golden opportunity to play a second WTC final. Alas that was not be as they lost a 2-1 series at home to England and failed to make WTC final.
ICC aims to make WTC 2025-27 a competitive affair by trying to implement a points system
For the unversed, this year's WTC final will be played between South Africa & Australia. The former topped the points table with a 69% percentage and won eight matches of the 12 they played in the WTC 2023-25 cycle. However, the Proteas' entry to the final drew criticism from all quarters as they did not face Australia or England in the current WTC cycle. They faced India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka at home, and played Bangladesh, New Zealand, and West Indies in the away series. South Africa only lost one series to New Zealand by 2-0.
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With bonus points system in place, teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will get greater incentive by performing well against top ranked teams like India and Australia. ICC is also planning to introduce awarding bonus points for away wins. This initiative aims to prioritize overseas wins, and prepare for teams in challenging and competitive away conditions.
