The Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon who was one key performer in Australia’s WTC victory last year, has suggested playing WTC finals in multi-match format.
The Australian spinner believes would more accurately capture the essence of Test cricket in a single-match affair.
“One thing I would like to see, I’d like to see the World Test Championship Final potentially in a three-match series. That may become a little bit better because you potentially can lose a Test match in one session where [in a three-match series] it may allow teams to bounce back and show their dominance and win 3-0.”
“We’re pretty time-poor anyway and that’s going to be a challenge but that’s one thing I would change,” said Lyon.
Lyon elaborated the idea saying the matches could be in India, Australia, and England. “You potentially could go one in England, one in India, one in Australia, so you have all different conditions, but obviously, the timing of that changes everything.”
“I don’t think we’re going to get on the MCG in the middle of August, just putting it out there.”
India reached the WTC finals twice and has been the runner after suffering defeats to New Zealand and Australia in both seasons. India is currently on the top of the WTC points table with 6 wins on 9 matches and one step too close making it to the third final at Lord’s starting from June 11.
Lyon emphasized that the World Test Championship format eliminates ‘dead rubbers’ in individual series ensuring that every match remains significant and competitive with every point being vital within the two-year cycle.
He also recalled the match against the West Indies in Brisbane earlier this year, where Australia suffered a defeat in a thrilling contest due to Shamar Joseph’s remarkable bowling performance.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll just say it’s [World Test Championship] the pinnacle for Test cricket. People say it’s sometimes a dead rubber when you turn 2-0 up in a three-match series or whatever it may be. But I feel like there’s no more dead rubbers.”
“I’ve never considered them dead rubbers, but there’s always points on offer now. You look at us last year losing against the West Indies at the Gabba hurt us a fair bit.”
Lyon regarded the WTC as the ultimate equivalent of a World Cup in Test cricket. “It’s not tournament play. You can’t just be scraping into the semi-finals and losing two games or whatnot. You’ve got to be consistent over the two years of the cycle,” said South Wales Nathan Lyon.
Currently, Australia is scheduled to play a five-match test series against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy starting in November this year. The five-match series could have a significant impact on the table.
