Australia off spinner Nathan Lyon has suggested that the World Test Championship (WTC) final should be a three-match series with one game in England, one in India, and one in Australia so that players get to play in different conditions.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has scheduled the WTC 2025 final at Lord’s from June 11. This will be the third WTC final (2021 in Southampton and 2023 at The Oval) in a row which will be held in England.
Lyon praised the distinctive two-year structure of the World Test Championship, emphasising that it demands sustained excellence from the participating teams.
“It’s not tournament play. You can’t just be scraping into the semi-finals and losing two games or what not,” Lyon told ICC. “You’ve got to be consistent over the two years of the cycle.”
This long-term approach, he believes, differentiates the WTC from other cricketing events and adds to its prestige and significance in the world of cricket.
“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 using a Test match in one session where (in a three-match series) it may allow teams to bounce back... 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.
“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.”
Former India opener Arun Lal welcomed the suggestion but wanted it to be used in World Cups too.
“It’s a valid suggestion. It’s a damn good thing to have a best of three final. But then, why don’t you start with the ODI and T20 World Cups?” Lal told The Telegraph onThursday.
“In these shorter formats, one over can change the entire script. While in a five-day affair, a team gets sufficient amount of time to bounce back. So, this too should be considered.”
Lyon views the WTC as the pinnacle of Test cricket, holding it in the same regard as a World Cup. “It’s massive,” he stressed.
“The WTC for me is like the World Cup and that’s a genuine big World Cup. When you are competing against the best for long periods of time over a two-year period, you have to be good for the whole lot.”
Lyon emphasised that the WTC format eliminates “dead rubbers” in individual series, ensuring that every match remains significant and competitive with every point vital.
