Dubai, Nov 30 (UNI) Greg Barclay, the new ICC chairman, has conceded that the ambitious World Test Championship (WTC) hasn't quite achieved what it intended to, and the disruption caused by Covid-19 has only highlighted its shortcomings.
"In short, I don't think so. Covid has probably highlighted its shortcomings of the championship," Barclay said during a virtual media conference for wire services on Monday, when asked if the WTC has served its purpose.
"... the issues that we have already got, I wonder whether some of it was because of an attempt to develop a Test Championship, clearly designed to drive interest back into Test cricket, provide a bit of context and relevance around the Test matches," Barclay said.
"From an idealist's point of view, probably it had a lot of merit but practically, I do disagree, I am not sure whether it has achieved what it intended to do," he added.
ICC recently redesigned the points allocation system, changing it to percentage allocation so as to take into account the several series that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Barclay is all in to see this edition through but said that the organizers need to go to the drawing board and look at things differently.
"My personal view is let's get through with the little bit that we can in this COVID-19, with reallocation of points and all that," Barclay said. "...but once we have done that, let's go back to the drawing board as I am not quite sure whether it (WTC) entirely fits the purpose and has achieved what it intended to after being conceptualised four to five years back.
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