‘Don’t think it’s quite right’ – Stuart Broad demands a change in World Test Championship grading system

India and New Zealand are gearing up to lock horns in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. The much-awaited clash will take place at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and will get underway on June 18. This was the inaugural WTC cycle which witnessed many exciting series. From Ashes 2019 to the Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, Test cricket was the best in many series. At the same time, there were also some series where a team dominated firmly and walked away with a cakewalk win. Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad isn’t impressed with this system as he called out for a change in format.

While Broad feels that the World Test Championship is really good, he wants some tweaking in the grading system. In the inaugural cycle, 120 points were at stake in every series regardless of the number of matches played. Later, ICC altered the grading system as many series got cancelled due to the COVID-19 scare. As a result, a percentage-based points system instead of total points was used to determine the team standings. However, the significance of all series still remained the same, and Broad demanded a change in this system.

“The World Test Championship is a really good concept, I just don’t think it’s quite right yet. It’s a first-time effort. I can’t quite work out how a five-match Ashes series can be worth the same as India playing Bangladesh for two Tests,” Broad was quoted as saying by Circle of Cricket.

There needs to be work done in WTC rules: Stuart Broad

“There’s something in the idea and it has given great context to the game, but there needs to be work done on how it all comes together, I think,” the 34-year-old added.

The inaugural WTC championship was introduced in 2019 to enhance the relevance of Test cricket. As per the initial rules, the top nine Test-playing nations were scheduled to play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. However, the global pandemic badly affected the event, and many series got cancelled. Subsequently, the percentage system came into the picture.

India and New Zealand were the top two teams at the end of the cycle, and they will now lock horns in the summit clash next month. With conditions in New Zealand and England being quite similar, the Blackcaps indeed have an advantage. However, India is the top-ranked Test team, and their overseas performances have been impressive lately. Hence, one can expect a cracker of the contest.