*Official* World Test Championship Final at The Oval – June 7–11, 2023

[Adders]

Could potentially be just as many logistical problems trying to fit in a 3 test series than a timeless test, possibly even more, I would have thought

Really just need to make sure we have a result pitch, and avoid playing in an excessively wet, dank and depressing country

How are there logistical issues scheduling a 3 test series? We do them all the time.

There just needs a willingness from the boards to do it and to give some priority to this WTC.......hard to expect the punters to care if the boards don't think this is important enough to warrant 3/4 weeks in their calendar.

Edit: and just having a results pitch won't make me think the best team is necessarily the champ.......anyone can win a one off test.

 

[social]

I think the decks are pretty flat. England also played on a similar flat deck vs Ireland. This is consistent with Stokes ordering fast and flat pitches for the ashes.

If this is the case expect some draws in the ashes, and bowlers to be rotated due to the heavy workloads on flat decks.

That was a good bowling pitch but India simply didn’t make the most of it

 

[TheJediBrah]

How are there logistical issues scheduling a 3 test series? We do them all the time.

Because the finalists aren't decided until a few months prior, and the schedule is packed as it is.

It's a pretty big ask for every country to be available for a 3 test series, which would be a solid month at least, just in case they make the final.

 

[sphynx]

I think the decks are pretty flat. England also played on a similar flat deck vs Ireland. This is consistent with Stokes ordering fast and flat pitches for the ashes.

If this is the case expect some draws in the ashes, and bowlers to be rotated due to the heavy workloads on flat decks.

Unsure if there will be too many draws with England attempting at scoring 6 RPO against a world class attack.

They are either setting massive totals in just over a day or will crash and burn attemping to slog.

Either way, I can't see their innings' chewing up too much time on average.

Draws are probably more of a possibility if England bat Australia out of a result in the first innings and Australia can keep England in the field for 150+ overs in response.

 

[ashley bach]

Because the finalists aren't decided until a few months prior, and the schedule is packed as it is.

It's a pretty big ask for every country to be available for a 3 test series, which would be a solid month at least, just in case they make the final.

Make way for importance, like the scheduling of a world cup.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Edit: and just having a results pitch won't make me think the best team is necessarily the champ.......anyone can win a one off test.

No, well that's a completely different issue

If we're talking issues in general the biggest fix for me would be making the team that finishes on top the host. I think it's fair enough to say that an English pitch suits Australia more than India, and any game between a SENA team and Asian team is going to be heavily reliant on where the game is being played.

If you finish on top you deserve the home ground advantage

 

[TheJediBrah]

Make way for importance, like the scheduling of a world cup.

Sure but almost every "major" team is playing in the World Cup. Completely different thing to make every team free for a series that only 2 teams will be a part of

 

[Spark]

How are there logistical issues scheduling a 3 test series? We do them all the time.

There just needs a willingness from the boards to do it and to give some priority to this WTC.......hard to expect the punters to care if the boards don't think this is important enough to warrant 3/4 weeks in their calendar.

Edit: and just having a results pitch won't make me think the best team is necessarily the champ.......anyone can win a one off test.

Fair bit different planning for a tour with three years' lead in time compared with three months.

 

[ashley bach]

Sure but almost every "major" team is playing in the World Cup. Completely different thing to make every team free for a series that only 2 teams will be a part of

Realistically it's only about 4-5 teams but agree it isn't easy. Until they do something solid though it will always remain Micky Mouse.

 

[Adders]

Because the finalists aren't decided until a few months prior, and the schedule is packed as it is.

It's a pretty big ask for every country to be available for a 3 test series, which would be a solid month at least, just in case they make the final.

To me that's a mindset of looking for problems instead of solutions.......which tbf is probably exactly the case with those making these decisions.

It's all doable if the desire is there to do it. They've introduced a WTC to give relevance to the format......and the final is a totally unsatisfactory way to finish it up imo.

Which is why you yourself have said this is just a warm up game for the Ashes and I'd feel exactly the same should Eng have been playing here.......its not important enough because we all know it's a crap conclusion to round out the 4 year cycle.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah no arguments here it's a pointless game

 

[Adders]

No, well that's a completely different issue

If we're talking issues in general the biggest fix for me would be making the team that finishes on top the host. I think it's fair enough to say that an English pitch suits Australia more than India, and any game between a SENA team and Asian team is going to be heavily reliant on where the game is being played.

If you finish on top you deserve the home ground advantage

Agree with this mostly.......but I do think a neutral venue for the final has value as it takes the home advantage out of the equation. I don't think that it should be always in Eng though.

 

[Adders]

Yeah no arguments here it's a pointless game

But if this was run and scheduled differently I don't believe we'd be thinking like that.

This should be a big deal and we should be thinking of it in terms of importance like the ODI WC......but I won't ever, such as it is now.

 

[thierry henry]

This test is meaningless and the 2021 final was the first and only meaningful test ever played, I agree entirely

 

[Nintendo]

Only one of Shami and Umesh should play in England.

Ashwin should never be dropped except on the most pace friendly of SA pitches where one of the ok backup pacers legitimately becomes more threatening.

Ishant Sharma was underrated. Bring him back if he's still up for it in Ranji.

Thakur has exceeded his ceiling with both bat and ball far too many times already. He's just going to get #punished. Bin him and let him join Paynter and Voges as one for the future generations to scratch their heads over.

Shardul already won India a test in ENG and AUS that lead to series draws/Wins and took 12 wickets @19 and made some handy runs in that SA series India lost 1-2. Drop him and let some random guy on here in 10 years argue he'd have outperformed kapil if he got more chances.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Agree with this mostly.......but I do think a neutral venue for the final has value as it takes the home advantage out of the equation. I don't think that it should be always in Eng though.

In theory but it doesn't always work out like that

If it's Aus v India then most "neutral" venues in Asia will give India a huge advantage. Likewise any "neutral" venue in SENA should give Aus an advantage

 

[Fuller Pilch]

If it's Aus v India then most "neutral" venues in Asia will give India a huge advantage.

Except in Pakistan with Pakistani umpires.

 

[Uppercut]

I still think having the away team choose to bat or bowl instead of a coin toss is such an easy improvement for test cricket.

 

[Shady Slim]

I still think having the away team choose to bat or bowl instead of a coin toss is such an easy improvement for test cricket.

just feel this would lead to mass enroadening

 

[G. S. Kohli]

On the contrary, one could consider it funny.

In an interview with Regional indian newspaper his wife told him on tweter to return back to india & never play for india in overseas test matches.