Bonus points rule under consideration for next World Test Championship: report

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to introduce a revamped points structure for the upcoming fourth edition of the World Test Championship (WTC), Indian media reported on Thursday.

With the blockbuster final of the current 2023-25 championship set between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s on June 11, the discussions regarding the upcoming cycle have gathered pace which will get underway with England’s five-match home series against India, starting on June 20.

The current points structure of the WTC, which has faced criticism, especially from England in the past, offers 12 points for a victory, six for a tie, while four for a draw.

Irrespective of the margin of victory, the winning team would only get 12 points.

However, this may change from the upcoming cycle as it is likely to feature bonus points for big triumphs like an innings victory and extra points for away wins.

“In fact, issues such as giving bonus points for innings wins etc has been in continuous discussion from the beginning of the WTC, as many teams felt that due weight is not getting for wins against big teams," an Indian news agency quoted a source close to the developments as saying.

“So, such topics have been a part of discussions, and this could again come up for deliberations," the source added.

The ICC board meeting is scheduled in April this year and the implementation of the revamped points structure is likely to come under discussion.

If the proposed system gets approved, teams will be able to claim bonus points for an innings victory and extra points for an away win or by beating top-tier sides like India, Australia and England.