Nathan Lyon proposes three-match series for World Test Championship final
Australian cricketer Nathan Lyon has proposed a bold idea to the International Cricket Council (ICC) - transforming the World Test Championship final into a three-match series. As per Lyon, this series could be hosted across various countries. Despite acknowledging the potential scheduling challenges of this format, Lyon believes that it would more accurately reflect the true spirit of Test cricket than a single match.
Lyon's vision for a multi-match final
Lyon, who played a crucial role in Australia's title-winning 2021-25 World Test Championship run, envisions a multi-match final where teams have the opportunity to recover from a single poor session. He suggested that the matches could be held in England, India, and Australia to incorporate diverse playing conditions. However, he also noted that such an arrangement would require careful timing due to seasonal variations.
Lyon praises WTC's unique format
Lyon commended the WTC for its profound two-year cycle, which demands consistenty over an extended period. He stated, "It's not tournament play. You can't just be scraping into the semi-finals and losing two games or what not." This format makes every match significant and competitive, with every point being crucial within the two-year cycle.
Lyon reflects on Australia's performance in WTC
Lyon reflected on Australia's performance in the incumbent WTC cycle, where they suffered a home defeat against the West Indies. Despite this setback, he emphasized that every match in the championship is significant due to its point-based system, eliminating any notion of insignificant matches or "dead rubbers."
Lyon equates WTC to World Cup
Lyon compared the World Test Championship to a Test World Cup, highlighting its status as a premier competition. He said, "It's massive, but I feel like the World Test Championship for me is like the World Cup and that's a genuine big World Cup." Notably, New Zealand and Australia have been crowned champions of the two editions so far - 2019-2021 and 2021-23. The final of the ongoing 2023-25 cycle will be played at Lord's next year.
Lyong leads this tally of spinners
It is worth noting that Lyon has the most wickets by a spinner in the ongoing WTC cycle. He owns 43 wickets from nine games at an average of 21.79. Lyon is overall behind his compatriots Josh Hazlewood (51), Pat Cummins (48), and Mitchell Starc (48) in terms of wickets.
