Nathan Lyon wants the WTC final to consist of three games in three different countries

New Delhi [India]September 4 (ANI): Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has proposed an ambitious idea to extend the final of the ICC World Test Championship to a series of three matches in different countries.

While Lyon is aware of the challenges and scheduling difficulties this would bring, he believes a multi-match final would better reflect the true nature of Test cricket rather than relying on the result of a single game, which can often be decided in a single session.

Lyon also praised the World Test Championship for its unique two-year format, which he said is different from other cricket competitions as it requires teams to perform consistently over a long period of time.

“This is not a tournament game. You can’t just get to the semi-finals and then lose two games or something like that,” Lyon said, according to the ICC.

“They have to be consistent across the two years of the cycle,” he added.

“One thing I would like to see is that I would like to see the World Test Championship final potentially in a series of three matches. That might be a bit better because you can potentially lose by using a Test match in one session where [in a three-match series] This will allow teams to assert their dominance and win 3-0. We’re pretty short on time anyway and it will be a challenge, but that’s one thing I would change,” Lyon said.

“You could potentially have one in England, one in India and one in Australia. So it’s a completely different set of circumstances but obviously timing changes everything. I don’t think we’ll be playing at the MCG in mid-August, I’ll just say that,” he noted.

Lyon stressed that the World Test Championship format eliminates the possibility of “dead games” in individual series, ensuring that every game remains important and competitive and that every point carries weight within the two-year cycle.

He reflected on the unforgettable match against the West Indies in Brisbane earlier this year, in which Australia suffered a narrow defeat, largely due to the outstanding bowling performance of Shamar Joseph.

This defeat is Australia’s only home loss in the current World Test Championship cycle and puts the country in second place in the standings, just behind India.

“Oh yes. I’m just saying it’s [World Test Championship] the pinnacle of Test cricket. People say it’s meaningless sometimes when you’re 2-0 up in a three-match series or whatever. But I feel like there are no meaningless games anymore. I never looked at them as meaningless but you can still get points now. If you look at our loss to the West Indies at the Gabba last year, it hurt us quite a bit,” he said, according to the ICC.

“But then I would go to New Zealand and win away, which is one of the biggest challenges in Test cricket,” Lyon added.

Lyon viewed the World Test Championship as the Test cricket equivalent of a World Cup and emphasised its importance as the top competition in the long-distance format of the game.

“It’s huge but I feel like the World Test Championship is like a World Championship for me, and a really big World Championship. When you’re competing against the best for a period of two years, you have to be good in all aspects,” he concluded. (ANI)