The ICC recently announced that in case the final of the World Test Championships between India and New Zealand end in a draw or tie, both teams will be declared joint-winners and share the trophy. The decision was not too well received by fans and pundits alike, as many believe the inaugural WTC should have one winner.
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels the first ever World Test Championship deserves a better finish. Hogg reckons that if the 50-over WC final and the T20 WC final is decided via a Super Over, there is no reason why Test cricket should be left behind. One of the possibilities Hogg reckons could always be the straightforward solution – whichever team led the WTC table should be declared winners in case of a draw. However, a Test match as big as the WTC final deserves a better solution, which is why Hogg has come up with an interesting idea.
"After two and a half years of hard-fought Test cricket with both home and away series of the best Test-playing nations around the world, why should the final ending in a draw create joint-winners. I think it’s ludicrous. I think the ICC haven’t thought this one through diligently enough. If we go to the white-ball formats, in the World Cup final, if teams are drawn after regulation play, we got to the Super Over to decider the victor. We need an outright winner in this final Test match of the WTC Series," Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
"So we can have a couple of solutions. We can go to the team that finished at the top of the ladder and can hold that cup. But I don’t think that is the one that we need. We need something different, new, something that brings back an old tradition of Test cricket… the Timeless Test match, those Test match that go on until we find a victor."
{{/usCountry}}"So we can have a couple of solutions. We can go to the team that finished at the top of the ladder and can hold that cup. But I don’t think that is the one that we need. We need something different, new, something that brings back an old tradition of Test cricket… the Timeless Test match, those Test match that go on until we find a victor."
{{/usCountry}}A timeless Test is a match of Test cricket played under no limitation of time, which means the match is played until one side wins or the match is tied, with theoretically no possibility of a draw. The last timeless Test match was played between South Africa and England in 1939, which lasted 10 days. There have been 99 Timeless Test matches in total and Hogg feels the WTC final could be the perfect scenario for the 100th Timeless Test.
"What it does is that it tests the ultimate war of attrition for the players… Physical, mental and as well as tactical capabilities. And I think the players would love playing in that type of scenario. We all love the history of the game so for me the timeless Test match should be the one that decides the ultimate Test playing nation over the last couple of years. It’s a great advertisement for the game and it creates a lot more interest and brings tradition back to the forefront," Hogg said.