Nathan Lyon Wants To See The World Test Championship Final Expand To Three-Match Series

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Australian spinner Nathan Lyon hopes to see the ICC World Test Championship Final potentially to be a three-match series with the matches being played in three different countries, but acknowleges the packed schedule may not allow for any expansion.

The World Test Championship Final has been contested as single Test in the past two cycles, and the next edition also will be a single match contested at the Home of Cricket - Lord's in London on June 11, 2025.

Lyon commended the World Test Championship for its unique two-year format, which he feels sets it apart from other cricket competitions by requiring teams to perform consistently over a long period.

"It's not tournament play. You can't just be scraping into the semi-finals and losing two games or what not," Lyon was quoted as saying by ICC. "You've got to be consistent over the two years of the cycle," he added.

Although he acknowledges the challenges and scheduling difficulties this would bring, Lyon believes that a multi-match final would better reflect the true nature of Test cricket, rather than relying on the result of just one match, which can often be decided by a single session.

"One thing I would like to see, I'd like to see the World Test Championship Final potentially in a three-match series. That may become a little bit better because you potentially can lose a Test match in one session.

"[In a three-match series] it may allow teams to bounce back all your show their dominance and win 3-0. We're pretty time-poor anyway and that's going to be a challenge but that's one thing I would change," Lyon said.

Lyon also added to even the playing field of conditions, the three matches can be played in India, Australia and England. He, however, agrees that the "timing of the match changes everything".

"You potentially could go one in England, one in India, one in Australia, so you have all different conditions, but obviously, the timing of that changes everything. I don't think we're going to get on the MCG in the middle of August, just putting it out there," he noted.

Lyon emphasized that the World Test Championship format removes the possibility of "dead rubbers" in individual series, ensuring that every match remains important and competitive, with every point carrying weight within the two-year cycle.

Earlier, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma also had suggested the WTC Final should be a best of three series after losing the last edition final to Australia. But his idea was spurned by the cricket fraternity.

"I would like to play the 3-Test match series for the WTC Final. We worked hard and we fought, but we played just 1 game. I think a 3-match series would be ideal in the next WTC cycle," Rohit had said in the press conference in June 2023.

Virat Kohli had also told something similar when India under his captaincy lost the inaugural final against New Zealand in 2021. Kohli had said that a one-match final was not the best way to decide the championship.

"If it is a Test series, it has to be a test of character over three Tests - which team has the ability to come back in the series, or totally blow away the other team. It can't just be pressure applied over two days of good cricket and then you suddenly you are not a good Test side anymore. I don't believe in it," Kohli had said.