WTC woes: Former England star slams championship for hurting Test cricket

• Mark Butcher criticizes the World Test Championship.
• He claims the WTC has made Test cricket worse.
• Butcher’s comments raise concerns about the future of Test cricket.

Mark Butcher, a former English player, declared that the World Test Championship (WTC), which is held every two years, has worsened Test cricket.

Up to seven players without caps were included in South Africa’s 14-man team for the Test series against New Zealand, which was just revealed. Senior players were unavailable because they would be playing franchise cricket at the time.

Many people were taken aback by the decision to play seven uncapped players. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh described it as a “defining moment in the death of Test cricket,” and numerous other people voiced their opinions.

Butcher, who played 71 Test matches for England, said that the introduction of WTC in an attempt to spice up Test cricket had backfired.

“One of the things that’s made this even more inevitable is something that they’ve done to try to salvage Test match cricket, which is the World Test Championship,” Butcher said on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast.

“The point is that your bilateral series have to capture the imagination of the fans and the players of the two countries that are playing in it, and then the wider cricket watching public. And the only way they are that is if they are competitive. And that’s how it always was.

“Test match series were and Test matches in and of themselves, single games, were important events. The idea that you widen the whole thing out to sort of span three years and blah blah blah, some series are worth this, some series are worth that, some teams can’t be asked this week – it makes it even more nebulous. The only effort that’s been made to kind of try and keep it relevant, I think, has made it worse.”

It is important to remember that Pakistan earned a 1-1 draw in a two-match series following their defeat in the three-match Test series against Australia. According to the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, the Kangaroos held the top spot.

Australia has surpassed India, which is now ranked second with 54.16 percentage points, to take the lead in the WTC table with 56.25 percentage points.

Pakistan, which is currently ranked No. 6, saw a considerable drop in percentage points—from 45.83 prior to the SCG Test to 36.66 following the loss.

Also Read

South Africa Unveils Adjusted Test Squad for New Zealand Series

Neil Brand leads SA Test squad vs. NZ. Adjusted due to India...