It has to be a one-off game and we make it Timeless Test: Brad Hogg on WTC Final future

A lot of cricket experts have suggested that there should be a three-match series for the World Test Championship final.

New Zealand beat India in the WTC Final by eight wickets and then Indian skipper Virat Kohli also said that having three Test matches will give a chance to the losing team to bounce back in the final.

There has been a lot of debate regarding the future of WTC Final as different experts have their respective opinions.

However, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes there is not enough time in the calendar to have a three-match series final, as hosting three matches can take up to one month.

The ICC has decided to host the WTC final after every two years and then there are T20 World Cups, 50-overs World Cups and thus the calendar is packed with big events. However, Hogg suggested that the WTC Final should be a timeless Test match so that we get a result.

The first WTC final between India and New Zealand was continuously interrupted by the rain as two complete days were washed out.

Brad Hogg said on his YouTube Channel, “People were talking about three Test matches for the final. (But) the calendar can’t have it. We have got too much cricket as it is. T20 tournaments all over the world, international T20 cricket World Cups, World Cups for the 50-over game and ICC 50-over events as well and the WTC final every second year. It is just too much on the calendar.”

Hogg added: “It has got to be a one-off game and we make it a timeless Test match. That means that we are going to get a result and also it puts all players under extreme pressure to make sure that they are at their peak – mentally, physically and in form for the big event.

We want to bring something back that was in the original format of the game. We have had 99 timeless Test matches. We need to make it 100 and move on from there.”

On the other hand, Hogg added that fixturing of WTC matches has to be done correctly by the International Cricket Council. New Zealand played two Test matches against England before the WTC Final which gave them a huge advantage before the big match.

“We must make sure that all Test-playing nations are playing a series that finishes two weeks before that WTC final happens so that they are prepared for the actual game.
We can’t have a situation like we had last time when New Zealand played two pointless Test matches, which weren’t counting towards the World Test Championship (WTC), against England in the conditions that they were going to play in. India (were) coming off a T20 tournament, not having Test match cricket under their belt. We cannot afford to have that little bit of disadvantage going into a big game like the WTC final.”