World Test Championship requirements called for reorganization by our Almanack editor: Debacle posing as a spectacle
In the 2025 edition of the Cricketer's Almanack, the Almanack editor Lawrence Booth took a hard hit at the World Test Championship, calling it a confounding mess that requires math skills to comprehend. Booth's irked remarks endeavor to highlight the need for reform in the Championship.
"Let's call it how it is – the WTC is a chaotic shindig draped in a fancy suit," said Booth in his editor's notes. "With diverse teams playing mismatched games against diverse opponents, you'll need a calculator to decipher the standings."
In its current state, the championship ranks teams using PCT, the ratio of their points to the maximum points they could have earned. Teams like England, who played a whopping 22 Tests in the ongoing 2023-25 cycle, have a significant advantage over teams like South Africa, who played only 12.
"It's not fair, and it's not fun," Booth admits. "South Africa, who sent a secondary team to New Zealand and basically gave up their slots in their home schedule for T20Is, managed to make it to the finals with victories in the West Indies, Bangladesh, and at home against Sri Lanka and Pakistan."
South Africa topped the table with a PCT of 69.44, having won eight out of nine two-Test series. However, two of their defeats came from the New Zealand tour, where they surprisingly sent a second-string side due to schedule conflicts with the SA20[6].
"Imagine trying to choose the winner between the 400m hurdles and the 100m sprint – that's what the WTC feels like," Booth says. "It's not fair to any team."
Booth is not just complaining; he's got solutions. He proposes extending the championship cycle to four years, like football and rugby, and ensuring that the top nine teams play each other home and away over series of at least three Tests. This would create a more level playing field and make the competition more comprehensive and competitive[1].
Booth also mentions the benefits the WTC has brought, namely giving several games context and drama they otherwise wouldn't have. However, he believes that the current system creates an odd hybrid "like forcing a match between the winners of the 400m hurdles and the 100m sprint."
Booth's plea is clear: the ICC cannot let the WTC continue to function haphazardly. His proposed changes, if implemented, could make the championship fairer, more competitive, and better reflect the spirit of cricket[4].
Stay tuned to our website for all the cricket updates you need, including live scores, quizzes, the latest news, team standings, match highlights, video analysis, and live match odds. Let's cheer for fairness and quality in Test cricket[5].
Related tags:- World Test Championship- Lawrence Booth- ICC- Cricket reform- Test cricket- Round-Robin format- Championship cycle
- Lawrence Booth, in his editorial for the Cricketer's Almanack, likens the World Test Championship (WTC) to a masquerade, stating that despite its fancy suit, it's a chaotic shindig that requires math skills to understand.
- Booth points out the unpredictability in the WTC's standings, citing the example of South Africa, who managed to reach the finals with victories against the West Indies, Bangladesh, and at home against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, despite playing fewer Tests than some other teams.
- In order to improve the WTC's fairness and competitiveness, Booth proposes extending the championship cycle to four years, ensuring that the top nine teams play each other home and away over series of at least three Tests, and making the competition more comprehensive and reflecting the spirit of cricket.
