England have failed to change the points system for the world Test championship this year, despite lobbying for the introduction of bonus points and more lenient over-rate penalties after “Bazball” fell short of qualifying for this year’s final at Lord’s.
But world cricket chiefs have agreed to consider a raft of longer-term changes for the cricket system, with a working group of chief executives to examine two-division Test cricket, international calendar windows, the future of white-ball formats, including T10, and a proposal for a Saudi Arabia-backed global T20 league.
Ben Stokes wanted the World Test Championship points system changed.Credit: Getty Images
The working group, which will include new Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg among others, is set to consider all options for after the end of the current Future Tours program in 2027, according to two sources speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations are confidential.
It is expected to report back to the International Cricket Council board within 12 months.
What England wanted changed
Ben Stokes’ team has won plaudits for its proactive style of play, but thus far has precious little to show for it in terms of major trophies. Australia hold the Ashes and the world Test championship title, while India won their most recent series against England.
Australia will defend their Test championship title against South Africa in the final at Lord’s in June, before England play a home series against India, then travel Down Under for the Ashes battle in the next cycle.
The world Test championship has been subjected to sustained attacks from Stokes and other members of the England set-up, being described as “utterly confusing” and “weird”.
Following that criticism, the England Cricket Board’s chair Richard Thompson suggested that he would champion a reset, arguing that it needed to provide “fairer competition” for teams that played more Test matches.
“It is fully understood that the current structure does not work in the way it should and we need to find a fairer, better competition, but at this stage no recommendations have been put forward,” Thompson told the London Telegraph in February.
Anticipation for the 2025-26 Ashes is already building.Credit: AP
“We have five months to work on this, step back and look at what the structure should. The world Test championship should be fairer and more competitive.
“It is going to change to ensure it always encourages the best teams to reach the final and encourages other nations that want to play Test cricket, to play Test cricket. We will protect, grow and ensure the integrity of Test cricket because the format is crucial to the DNA of the game.”
However, suggestions of bonus points for big winning margins and victories away from home, plus less stringent over-rate penalties fell flat both at the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee and then chief executives and board meetings that took place in Harare last week.
In fact, the idea of bonus points was considered “too complicated” for fans to follow, according to ESPNcricinfo.
England’s cricket director Rob Key was given the floor to explain to the cricket committee why over-rate penalties had cost his team dearly.
But numerous countries have since suggested that the best remedy for England’s Test championship struggles is simply to win more matches, rather than changing a system that was carefully constructed in 2019 and adjusted for the second edition in 2021.
What was considered at the meeting
One concession to the pace of play in Test matches was consideration of a “stop clock” to limit teams to a break of one minute between overs, something that has already been trialled in white-ball formats.
The working group, meanwhile, provides an opportunity for further discussions with the World Cricketers’ Association. Its recent report called for a more socialised financial structure, calendar windows and multi-divisional structures for international matches.
A proposal for a new “grand slam of cricket” featuring a quartet of global T20 tournaments backed by Saudi money will also be up for debate. Danny Townsend, the head of SRJ Sports Investments, has met with numerous cricket figures in recent months.
There is conjecture, too, about the future of ODI cricket in particular, while some countries have also pushed for the formal approval of T10 as an official format of the game.
“If we don’t get the scheduling sorted out in international cricket so we actually work out how international cricket will co-exist with the domestic Twenty20 competitions, then international cricket’s in trouble,” WCA report chair Paul Marsh said last week after revealing he was finishing as boss of the AFL Players’ Association to return as Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive.
“So we are trying to get to windows. We are trying to get to a more structured format around how international cricket works. That’s one of the big priorities … to work with all the other countries to try to find the right solutions.”
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