VVS Laxman and Shane Bond unhappy with ICC's planning of the WTC final

The final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship between India and New Zealand has been badly impacted by rain. Day 1 and 4 of the historic Test match was completely washed out while there was a loss of about two hours of play on Day 2 and Day 3 due to bad light and drizzle. 

Though the International Cricket Council (ICC) has kept June 23 to compensate for any loss of match time, it won’t be sufficient to complete the full 450 overs (if needed). If there is no result in the scheduled time, then the trophy will be shared by both India and New Zealand. 

However, former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman and former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond didn’t seem happy with the ICC as they slammed the cricketing body for not planning things well. Laxman believes that ICC didn’t get the rules right as no team or fans will be happy with a draw. 

If New Zealand bat well after the rain finishes, it puts them in the best position: Shane Bond

“It’s very sad for the fans. I think ICC did not get the rules right. All said and done, you want a champion. With so much time available, I’m sure they could have at least allowed 90 overs in 5 days to complete 450 overs. That’s something I would have expected from ICC. We were excited that there is a reserve day but I’m not sure whether the game can finish (even with the reserve day) if the rain continues,” Laxman said on Star Sports

Shane Bond also echoed the same sentiments as VVS as he added that the fans would have fancied getting a champion after 450 overs of play. However, the veteran believes that the chances of the Blackcaps emerging victorious are high if there are three to four days of play. 

“Both teams wanna play to win. The other thing is that the pitch is offering so much to the bowlers that even if you have three-four days of play, we could find a result. If the weather delays go on for long, sometimes it means only one team can win if New Zealand bat well after the rain finishes, it puts them in the best position but I’m with VVS, however long it takes, I’d like to see 450 overs and one team come out on top,” Bond said.