ICC Test Championship Mace (Source: AFP Photos)
Earlier, it was reported that the World Test Championship (WTC), the biggest and the most prestigious competition in red-ball cricket, was supposed to be a 12-team competition very soon. However, according to Cricinfo, the idea of expanding the WTC has now been rejected.
As things stand, the WTC is a nine-team competition that takes place on a two-year cycle. It might become a 10-team competition in the best-case scenario, but not the earlier-reported potential 12-team competition.
WTC Challenges Explained For Ireland, Afghanistan & Zimbabwe
The ICC quarterly meeting began on Wednesday (November 12) in Bali and will end on Sunday. There, many previously discussed ideas in the early stages were floated. Among them, WTC expansion was one of the ideas.
“Cricinfo understands that the next cycle will likely remain at nine teams only, meaning Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan would continue being on the outer. There have been question marks over Ireland's appetite to play Test cricket in the near future, due to financial strain,” the report read.
In the ICC meeting, it was mutually agreed that Zimbabwe, another full-member nation, could join WTC in the future. On the 12-team WTC dream, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was the first to oppose the idea.
“There remains a possibility that Zimbabwe will join the WTC in what would be a 10-team competition but not 12,” it added.
“...ECB is opposed to an expanded competition. An expansion would mean more travel for them and ultimately squeeze their home window, although it is understood the ECB is open to playing Zimbabwe and Ireland - not Afghanistan due to the Taliban government's oppression of women and girls - in one-off Tests that aren't part of the WTC,” it highlighted.
Who Participates In WTC Currently?
Nine full-member nations: India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been playing WTC since the beginning. Currently, it is the fourth cycle of the competition, which began in 2019.
New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have won the WTC mace so far. The fourth cycle is going well, with the final scheduled to start on June 9.
