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    7 March, 2002  

    -- Saurabh Wahi

    Perfection is a continuous process of making something near perfect, nearly perfect.

    In the previous article, I laid the groundwork and justified the need to have a consistent, well-spread schedule for basing the ICC's Test Championship. In this article, I will put together such a schedule and call it the PWC, or the Perfect World Championship schedule.

    To illustrate, I will base it on a 4-year cycle and assume 9 teams; India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, South Africa & Team X (which represents Zimbabwe & Bangladesh). Having explained the basic principle of this 9-team format using Team X, I have expanded it to a 10-team format by replacing Team X by Bangladesh & Zimbabwe appropriately.

    PWC Schedule - 9 teams

    Season 1
    Host Visitor
    Australia Sri Lanka
    Australia India
    England Australia
    England West Indies
    India England
    India Team X
    New Zealand Sri Lanka
    New Zealand Team X
    Pakistan West Indies
    Pakistan India
    South Africa Pakistan
    South Africa New Zealand
    Sri Lanka South Africa
    Sri Lanka Pakistan
    Team X Australia
    Team X England
    West Indies New Zealand
    West Indies
    Season 2
    Host Visitor
    Australia New Zealand
    Australia Pakistan
    England Sri Lanka
    England South Africa
    India West Indies
    India New Zealand
    New Zealand England
    New Zealand Pakistan
    Pakistan Team X
    Pakistan England
    South Africa India
    South Africa Australia
    Sri Lanka India
    Sri Lanka Team X
    Team X West Indies
    Team X South Africa
    West Indies Australia
    West Indies Sri Lanka

    Season 3
    Host Visitor
    Australia England
    Australia Team X
    England India
    England Team X
    India Pakistan
    India Australia
    New Zealand South Africa
    New Zealand West Indies
    Pakistan South Africa
    Pakistan Sri Lanka
    South Africa Sri Lanka
    South Africa West Indies
    Sri Lanka New Zealand
    Sri Lanka Australia
    Team X India
    Team X New Zealand
    West Indies England
    West Indies Pakistan
    Season 4
    Host Visitor
    Australia South Africa
    Australia West Indies
    England Pakistan
    England New Zealand
    India South Africa
    India Sri Lanka
    New Zealand India
    New Zealand Australia
    Pakistan New Zealand
    Pakistan Australia
    South Africa England
    South Africa Team X
    Sri Lanka England
    Sri Lanka West Indies
    Team X Pakistan
    Team X Sri Lanka
    West Indies India
    West Indies Team X

    The above 9-team PWC schedule is based on two simple principles:

    1. All Teams play four Test-Series every season, two at home & two away.

    2. Teams meet each other every alternate seasons, so if England hosts Australia in season 1, Australia will host England in season 3, etc.

    I will now expand the above schedule to 10 teams without upsetting the above two principles for the eight named teams in the 9-team schedule.

    According to the above format, the schedule for Team X reads as:

    Season 1
    Host Visitor
    India Team X
    New Zealand Team X
    Team X Australia
    Team X England
    Season 2
    Host Visitor
    Pakistan Team X
    Sri Lanka Team X
    Team X West Indies
    Team X South Africa

    Season 3
    Host Visitor
    Australia Team X
    England Team X
    Team X India
    Team X New Zealand
    Season 4
    Host Visitor
    South Africa Team X
    Team X Pakistan
    Team X Sri Lanka
    West Indies Team X

    Now if we replace Team X by Zimbabwe & Bangladesh alternately in the above schedule, and add a series between Bangladesh & Zimbabwe every alternate season (say seasons 2 & 4), we get a new schedule that looks something like this:

    Season 1
    Host Visitor
    India Zimbabwe
    New Zealand Bangladesh
    Zimbabwe Australia
    Bangladesh England
    Season 2
    Host Visitor
    Pakistan Zimbabwe
    Sri Lanka Bangladesh
    Zimbabwe West Indies
    Bangladesh South Africa
    Zimbabwe Bangladesh

    Season 3
    Host Visitor
    Australia Bangladesh
    England Zimbabwe
    Bangladesh India
    Zimbabwe New Zealand

    Season 4
    Host Visitor
    South Africa Zimbabwe
    Bangladesh Pakistan
    Zimbabwe Sri Lanka
    West Indies Bangladesh
    Bangladesh Zimbabwe

    With the above changes, the final 10-team PWC schedule will be as follows:

    Complete PWC Schedule - 10 teams

    Season 1
    Host Visitor
    Australia Sri Lanka
    Australia India
    England Australia
    England West Indies
    India England
    India Zimbabwe
    New Zealand Sri Lanka
    New Zealand Bangladesh
    Pakistan West Indies
    Pakistan India
    South Africa Pakistan
    South Africa New Zealand
    Sri Lanka South Africa
    Sri Lanka Pakistan
    Zimbabwe Australia
    Bangladesh England
    West Indies New Zealand
    West Indies South Africa
    Season 2
    Host Visitor
    Australia New Zealand
    Australia Pakistan
    England Sri Lanka
    England South Africa
    India West Indies
    India New Zealand
    New Zealand England
    New Zealand Pakistan
    Pakistan Zimbabwe
    Pakistan England
    South Africa India
    South Africa Australia
    Sri Lanka India
    Sri Lanka Bangladesh
    Zimbabwe West Indies
    Bangladesh South Africa
    West Indies Australia
    West Indies Sri Lanka
    Zimbabwe Bangladesh

    Season 3
    Host Visitor
    Australia England
    Australia Bangladesh
    England India
    England Zimbabwe
    India Pakistan
    India Australia
    New Zealand South Africa
    New Zealand West Indies
    Pakistan South Africa
    Pakistan Sri Lanka
    South Africa Sri Lanka
    South Africa West Indies
    Sri Lanka New Zealand
    Sri Lanka Australia
    Bangladesh India
    Zimbabwe New Zealand
    West Indies England
    West Indies Pakistan
    Season 4
    Host Visitor
    Australia South Africa
    Australia West Indies
    England Pakistan
    England New Zealand
    India South Africa
    India Sri Lanka
    New Zealand India
    New Zealand Australia
    Pakistan New Zealand
    Pakistan Australia
    South Africa England
    South Africa Zimbabwe
    Sri Lanka England
    Sri Lanka West Indies
    Bangladesh Pakistan
    Zimbabwe Sri Lanka
    West Indies India
    West Indies Bangladesh
    Bangladesh Zimbabwe

    Zimbabwe & Bangladesh play one home & one away series every season, against one of the eight teams. Hence, they will meet the other eight teams exactly once in a four-year cycle (either home or away). In addition, they will also play additional series in Seasons 2 & 4 against each other.

    Great! I have put together a schedule that is different from the ICC's. But does it mean that it is any better? Also, is this not over-crowded schedule? And what about the traditional test series like the Ashes?

    To be able to answers these questions, I have to compare the two schedules, which I will do in the next article. In the meanwhile, I will leave you with one question:

    Isn't a schedule in which all the top eight test playing nations play 4 Test Series every season, 2 at home and 2 away, and meet each other every alternate season, a better way to determine a 'Champion', irrespective of the parameters used to determine the Champion?

    The next article analyzes the differences between the current schedule as defined by the ICC and the proposed Perfect World Cup (PWC) schedule.

    Part I: The ideal ICC Test Championship
    Part II: The ICC's Championship: A Rating or a Championship

    Editor's note: Rediff believes that like its own editorial staffers, readers too have points of view on the many issues relating to cricket as it is played.

    Therefore, Rediff provides in its editorial section space for readers to write in, with their views. The views expressed by the readers are carried as written, in order to preserve the original voice.

    However, it needs mentioning that guest columns are opinion pieces, and reflect only the feelings of the individual concerned -- the fact that they are published on Rediff's cricket site does not amount to an endorsement by the editorial staff of the opinions expressed in these columns.

    Mail Saurabh Wahi