Equal points system for next World Test Championship

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council on Wednesday said the next World Test Championship will have a “simpler” equal points system to decide the finalists after the previous system came under criticism.

The second championship will kick off with a five-Test series between hosts England and India in August and September.

The ICC switched from the original system of total points to percentage of points won midway through the first championship which was severely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Each match will now earn 12 points for a win, four for a draw and six for a tie, the ICC said in a statement.

The top nine Test nations will play six series each, three home and three away before March 31, 2023.

“We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said.

“The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardized points system for each match.”

He added: “During the pandemic we had to change to ranking teams on the points table using the percentage of available points won by each team, since all series could not be completed.”

Kane Williamson´s New Zealand beat India in the first WTC final and both teams will be among the favourites again.

India captain Virat Kohli said: “We will regroup with new energy for the next cycle starting with our series against England, hoping to give our fans a lot to cheer about.”