Whether the marquee final of the World Test Championship is held as scheduled at Lord's in June 2021 or not is heavily dependent on the number of bilateral series that are rescheduled in the near future, GM (Cricket Operations) for the International Cricket Council, Geoff Allardice, said on Monday (July 27).
The Test championship fixture-list, as was originally confirmed, has been put in disarray by the ongoing health crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outside of India, scheduled to next play in December, and to an extent, England, which has saved its summer matches against West Indies and Pakistan via the creation of the bio-secure bubble at grouds in Manchester and Southampton after Sri Lanka tour suspension in March, all teams have been majorly impacted by the indefinite postponement of their matches.
In such circumstances, the general consensus is that the window for the Test championship shall be extended to maintain its sanctity.
"We are currently in discussion with members on what their plans are around rescheduling their series," Allardice told PTI.
"Obviously their teams have re-scheduled them (their engagements) as quickly as possible. Depending on how many of them (postponed series) could be re-scheduled within the available time will give us the most appropriate timing for the final. But at this stage the final is scheduled for June 2021."
"We are working with the members on that...Countries are now working out on how to resume and when it’s best to resume and they are all in their process of looking at calenders," he added.
The ICC can't be directly involved in redrawing the Test calendar, given these are all mutually pre-agreed series between the members. "I don’t see us taking a greater role in terms of being pro-active," said Allardice. "ICC plays a role in coordinating competitions, but it has no role in scheduling as it is on members."
Allardice also talked about the ODI Super League, including 12 full members and the Netherlands, officially launched by the ICC to determine qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
13 teams will play eight three-match series, four home and four away, for points that will enable the direct participation of top seven sides and host India at the quadrennial event, while the rest of the two slots will be finalised via the global qualifier.
"The rules around the league were established, back in 2017-18, a decision was taken at that time that T20Is and ODIs will be three-match series," said Allardice.
"Earlier, it used to be five ODIs and a T20 International. Probably it changes the balance but when the league was designed, the countries agreed that there would be three ODIs and three T20 Internationals."
On the recently trialled '3TCricket' concept in South Africa, Allardice reiterated that the ICC remains focused on the three international formats it has been governing. However, member countries are free to experiment at the domestic level.
"Look the ICC’s position is at the moment we have three international formats but members are encouraged to try out new format(s),” Allardice said.
"We are focused on these three formats (Tests, ODIs, T20Is). We are aware of what’s happening in member countries but it has not come on the ICC radar as yet," he concluded.
