Test cricket really needs this: Waugh backs WTC

Despite his team being recognised as one of the most successful Australia men's outfits of all time, Steve Waugh believes their achievements would have carried even greater resonance if there had been a formal Test cricket championship in his playing days.

For that reason, Waugh is an ardent supporter of the change that awaits the Test game later this week.

As Australia and England prepare to resume the Ashes battle that has raged regularly for almost 150 years, the International Cricket Council is simultaneously launching its new nine-team World Test Championship concept which it hopes will deliver a fillip for the long-form game.

With the ever-growing number of franchise-based T20 competitions around the world luring players and fans from the traditional format, the ICC has introduced a league system that will be crowned by a tournament-style grand final every two years.

While the venue for that final – to be played in England in mid-2021 – remains undecided, the first round of championship matches kick off in the UK (Ashes), Sri Lanka (hosting New Zealand) and the Caribbean (where the West Indies play India) over coming weeks.

With each Test series counting for a total of 120 points, distributed over the number of matches being played within each, the World Test Championship table will see all nine teams (excluding Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan) locked in battle for the next two years.

During that time, a total of 27 bilateral series will be contested yielding a total of 71 matches before the two top-ranked teams meet in a showpiece game, expected to be staged at Lord's in London.

"I think it's great for Test match cricket," said Waugh, whose winning percentage of 71.93 is the highest for any captain to have led their country in more than 10 Tests.

"I played for 18 years and many people said we were the number one Test side in the world, but I think unless you hold up a trophy or you can get to that final game then you're not really sure.

"I think Test cricket really needs this.

"You've got the T20 World Cup, the 50-over World Cup and you need something to hang your hat on if you're the best Test team in the world.

"As a player of the game, I still think that Test cricket is the only form of cricket where you can really, truly test yourself to your full capacity.

"I think players still want to be the best Test player they can be, and the best team so this is a great way to measure it."

In 2001, when Australia last triumphed in an Ashes series in the UK, Waugh became the first captain to receive the ICC Test champions' mace as the top-ranked team at the end of a nominated 12-month period.

Image Id: F5EAB904295A4D178ED416429F6D2D9C Image Caption: Waugh was first to hold the Test Championship mace // Getty

Since then, a number of ideas have been floated to bring greater context to the bilateral series of varying lengths and relevance played around the world.

Among them was the short-lived Super Series concept in 2005, whereby the top-ranked team (Ricky Ponting's Australia) took on a star-studded World XI in a handful of ODIs and a one-off 'Super Test'.

But with all Test-playing nations signing up to the concept that kicks off this week, the ICC's General Manager of Cricket Operations Geoff Allardice believes the new championship model offers the best chance of the five-day game thriving and drawing a new cohort of fans.

"One of the things that Test cricket has done really well over the years is promote the bilateral series, and they play for trophies," Allardice said, noting the rivalries that have historically developed among individual Test nations.

"But the interest in those series is limited outside the two countries involved, whereas what we're hoping with the Test championship is that interest is a lot more widespread across the Test playing countries.

"In August we've got three series going on, and while the focus in Australia and England will be on the Ashes I think there will be one eye on what's happening with Sri Lanka versus New Zealand, and also an eye on West Indies and India.

"When all of those matches count towards the World Test Championship, that's how the global interest in Test cricket is going to grow.

"I don't think we'll be able to replicate the Ashes outside of Australia and England given the history of that contest, but what we can do is raise the profile of some of these other series.

"If it means that we get more viewers or more attendees at some of the matches in places where we've all seen smaller Test attendances, then that's a measure that we're having an impact.

"There's a strong desire among all the countries to see Test cricket succeed, and in developing this competition the countries were unanimous in wanting to do something to improve the context of Test cricket."

Allardice's message was echoed by the England and Wales Cricket Board's recently appointed Managing Director of Men's Cricket – and former England spin bowler – Ashley Giles who described himself as a fan of the championship context.

Giles also noted that, as one of the nations (along with Australia) where Test cricket continued to hold significant audience support, it was incumbent upon England to do all it can to ensure the game's good health.

"Test cricket has obviously been marginalised in some parts of the world with the popularity of white-ball cricket," Giles said today at Edgbaston where the first Ashes Test – worth 24 championship points – is scheduled to begin on Thursday.

"This country doesn't really struggle with that – Test cricket remains popular, and the Ashes is sold out this year. England versus Australia doesn't need any more promotion.

"But around the world it's not that easy, so having something around that is important."

While the machinations of the championship format and the intrigue that comes with teams moving up and down the ladder likely won't gather momentum until more series are played, there will be an immediate new look that's obvious to spectators.

As part of the changes introduced for the World Test Championship, the ICC has mandated that all players will sport their name and chosen player number on the back of their Test shirts.

Allardice notes that public response to the measure, which has been a feature of limited-overs playing uniforms for decades, has been both positive and negative but he believes it's a common-sense innovation if Test cricket is looking to broaden its appeal.

"I think it's a small issue that might make Test cricket a bit easier to watch for someone who's new to the game," he said.

"I was thinking if you took someone to a Test match for the first time, how do you tell which player's which on the field – what would your answer be?

"In terms of the way we were brought up to watch Test cricket – what players looked like and how they move and what their batting stance is – that takes some time to get used to.

"If we're trying to get new people to the game and be involved in Test cricket, whether it's watching on TV or at the ground, then hopefully it makes things a little easier."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

First Test: August 1-5,Edgbaston

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: August 14-18,Lord's

Third Test: August 22-26, Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval