WTC final | ICC should come up with formula to find winner in case of draw: Gavaskar

The ongoing match has been affected by English weather with the opening and fourth day washed out completely, while play has been disrupted frequently due to bad light.

June 22, 2021 10:54 am | Updated November 30, 2021 06:16 pm IST - Southampton

Fomer Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar urged the ICC to find a tie-breaker to determine the winner in case the rain-hit World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand ends in a draw. File photo

Fomer Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar urged the ICC to find a tie-breaker to determine the winner in case the rain-hit World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand ends in a draw. File photo

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels the ICC should find a way to decide a winner in case the rain-hit World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand here ends in a draw.

The ongoing match has been affected by English weather with the opening and fourth day washed out completely , while play has been disrupted frequently due to bad light.

Even though there is a reserve day but with no play possible for two out of the first four days, the match might end in a draw if inclement weather continues to play spoilsport.

"There must be a formula to pick a winner in case of a drawn World Test Championship final. ICC's cricket committee should think and then take a decision," Gavaskar told Aaj Tak. .

There is unlikely to be any change in the rules in this edition as the ICC had made it clear last month that India and New Zealand will share the trophy in case of a draw or a tie.

"It seems that the World Test Championship final will end up as a draw and the trophy will be shared. This will be the first time that the trophy will be shared in a final," Gavaskar said.

'Result possible if weather permits'

"To complete three innings in two days would be really difficult. Yes, if both teams bat really badly, the three innings could be completed." A total of 141.1 overs have been bowled so far in the WTC final and with 196 overs still left in the match, a result is possible if weather permits.

The former skipper urged the ICC to find a tie-breaker to determine a winner and cited the examples of other sports such as football and tennis.

"In football, they have a penalty shoot out or they have some other method to decide a winner. In Tennis, there are five sets and there is a tie-breaker," he said.

India were bundled out for 217 in their first innings and New Zealand were 101 for 2, still trailing by 116 runs.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.