'Timeless' World Test Championship final?

LONDON: The final of the inaugural World Test Championship could be played in the historical "timeless" format. International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the first World Test Championship final deserved a clear winner and that is why the "timeless" format for the match to only end when one team wins outright is one of the options being considered. "For some time we have been working on a World Test Championship," said Lorgat, who is here ahead of the 2,000th Test, at Lord's between England and India starting Thursday. "It is common knowledge that we hope in 2013 the top four teams will be involved in two semi-finals and a final to determine a World Test Champion."

"We've still got to decide how we determine a winner in case of a draw or if the draw will be the end result. I would favour a winner because you want somebody to be a Test champion. "That is what Dave Richardson (ICC general manager, cricket) and the committee is currently on working on because it is not a good idea to end up with a drawn Test match," Lorgat said. "You have got to determine a winner - whether it is on the first-innings basis, or the runs (scored) in the game - they will come up with a viable formula to determine a winner in case of a drawn Test match. The final may well be a 'timeless' Test. We don't know that yet but we are looking into the mechanics of that. Although looking at the statistics today most of the games have ended in results." Lorgat said he is eager that they decide on the format "before the end of the year". The championship is slated for 2013 in England. The last timeless Test was between England and South Africa in Durban in 1939 when, ironically, the match ended in a draw when England had to leave with the game unfinished after 10 days in order to make their boat back home.

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England and South Africa