The new World Test Championship is five series into its existence and is, so far, not showing any signs of revitalizing the format.
As expected India are the runaway leaders, being the only side to have completed two series, playing both at home and winning them at a canter. They have also started their series against Bangladesh in imperious.
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Perhaps the only impact the WTC has had is making dominant teams that much more ruthless. India retained a largely unchanged team for the third Test against South Africa that would normally have seen some changes and experimentation.
The World Test Championship might be able to eliminate the concept of a dead rubber but does not address the imbalance within the game.
The Proteas were fully deserving of the hiding they got in India. Still, the WTC is falling into a familiar pattern and basing it on bilateral agreements is a flawed concept.
Under the current system, the nine nations competing in the WTC will play six series that form part of the Championship and who they skip playing is telling.
India have yet again refused to compete against Pakistan while the sheer number of recent series between themselves and Sri Lanka meant they had to give the Lions the sidestep as well.
Two of India’s realistic rivals for the title, England and the Proteas both miss out on Test matches against the lowest-ranked side in the Championship in Bangladesh.
The Black Caps have secured a favourable set of fixtures as they avoid facing England and South Africa.
Another issue is the unbalanced number of games the teams will play. While the series number is fixed, the number of matches played in each series can be anywhere between two and five matches. England are scheduled to play 22 Tests during the Championship. At the other end of the spectrum, Sri Lanka and Pakistan play just 13 and Bangladesh 14 Tests.
Cricket’s attachment to the idea of bilateral series is wrapped up in the traditions of the game, but it is this notion that ensures the game remains a contest between the haves and the have nots.
The influence extended by the so-called ‘big three’ nations will not be disrupted until the scheduling is brought under an independent body.
As it stands the World Test Championship is set to be a celebration of cricket’s already established elite, not a means to grow the ultimate form of the game.
