World Test Championship may introduce bonus points for big wins

Ajaz Patel celebrates a wicket during the third test against India. Photo / Photosport

In-game bonus points and extra points for away wins could be introduced to the World Test Championship as part of discussions to reform the competition before the next cycle begins in June.

The final of the 2023-25 World Test Championship, pitting Australia against South Africa at Lord’s, begins on June 11. England’s five-test series against India, which marks the start of the 2025-27 championship, then begins on June 20.

There have been widespread complaints – principally in England – about the test championship, with a belief that the points system is unfair. The points penalties for slow over rates, which England have repeatedly fallen foul of, have already been relaxed. Now, there are discussions about wider changes to the points system, to take effect for the new 2025-27 cycle.

Bonus points for the margin of victory – similar to the model used in rugby’s Six Nations – are one idea that will be discussed at the next International Cricket Council board meeting in early April. The current points system gives the same weighting to all victories, whether they are by one run or by an innings. Under the proposed reforms, teams could earn bonus points if they register an emphatic margin of victory, such as by an innings. It is hoped that the change could ensure that interest remains in matches in which the result is already inevitable.

Two other potential changes being considered would weight victories based on the side defeated. One such idea would award more points to wins away from home. It is thought that this tweak could lead sides to give more focus to series overseas and encourage more rigorous preparation, ultimately producing more competitive cricket.

Another concept being mooted is a seeding system, which would weight the points that a team could win based on the country that they face. In practice, this tweak would be likely to increase England’s chances of qualifying for the final of the competition, reflecting how England meet both Australia and India in each cycle.

With these two envisaged changes, a result like New Zealand’s spectacular 3-0 victory in India last year would receive significantly more points. Under the existing system in the World Test Championship, New Zealand earned no more for the historic result than, say, England did for their 3-0 win at home to West Indies last summer.

New Zealand celebrate a wicket during the third test against India. Photo / Photosport

There has been some criticism that South Africa’s route to this year’s final was aided by the schedule. During the 2023-25 cycle, South Africa defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka in test series at home and Bangladesh and West Indies away, alongside a home draw with India and a defeat in New Zealand. South Africa did not play either Australia or England in the period.

But any reforms to the championship will have to reflect the continued lack of fixtures between India and Pakistan, with the Indian government refusing to sanction matches between the two rivals outside of limited-overs tournaments. There could also be concerns that the proposed changes to the points system could make the World Test Championship league table even more confusing.

The championship’s unwieldy points system reflects the inequities in the fixture list, with Australia, England and India playing almost twice as many tests as their rivals.

Yet Australia have now qualified for consecutive finals of the championship, after winning the tournament in 2023, while India reached the final in both 2021 and 2023. England have come fourth, fourth and then fifth in the three editions of the championship - an embarrassing sequence for a nation that considers itself the home of test cricket and has hosted all the finals so far.

The potential changes to the championship, to come into effect immediately, are separate to any discussions about the future of the competition from 2027, when the new Future Tours Programme begins. Cricket Australia have proposed a new two-divisional structure, which would allow for more lucrative series involving Australia, England and India. But the England & Wales Cricket Board have not been enthusiastic about these proposals.

In February, Richard Thompson, the chairman of the ECB, told Telegraph Sport that he supported revamping the World Test Championship.

“It is fully understood that the current structure does not work in the way it should and we need to find a fairer, better competition, but at this stage no recommendations have been put forward,” Thompson said.

“The World Test Championship should be fairer and more competitive. It is going to change to ensure it always encourages the best teams to reach the final and encourages other nations that want to play Test cricket, to play test cricket.”