Nathan Lyon. (Photo Sourcer: X(Twitter)
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon proposed a new idea for the World Test Championship final. He suggested it should be a three-match series hosted in England, Australia and India rather than just one Test. Explaining his thought process, the 36-year-old stated that it should be hosted on three continents so that all finalists are contested in different conditions to prove their worth, not just in one.
He also shared that the three-match WTC final would give teams to make a comeback if they have a poor session or two in the first game. Meanwhile, he also understood the difficulties of hosting the final across three venues as it’s nearly impossible to play at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in mid-August.
“One thing I would like to see, I’d like to see the World Test Championship Final potentially in a three-match series. That may become a little bit better because you potentially can lose using a Test match in one session where (in a three-match series) it may allow teams to bounce back all your show their dominance and win 3-0. We’re pretty time-poor anyway and that’s going to be a challenge but that’s one thing I would change,” Lyon told ICC.
Also Read – Nathan Lyon wary of Yashasvi Jaiswal threat ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“You potentially could go one in England, one in India, one in Australia, so you have all different conditions, but obviously, the timing of that changes everything. I don’t think we’re going to get on the MCG in the middle of August, just putting it out there,” he added.
WTC is the pinnacle of Test cricket: Lyon
Courtesy of the WTC format, every test match has value and no game is a dead rubber. Lyon echoed the same sentiments and stated that there are points up for grabs in every game and that losing to West Indies at Gabba last year hurt the team as Australia currently placed second, behind India in the points table.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll just say it’s (World Test Championship) the pinnacle for Test cricket. People say it’s sometimes a dead rubber when you turn 2-0 up in a three-match series or whatever it may be. But I feel like there’s no more dead rubbers. I’ve never considered them dead rubbers, but there’s always points on offer now. You look at us last year losing against West Indies at the Gabba hurt us a fair bit,” Lyon said.