AB de Villiers unmasks flaws in WTC format days after South Africa's historic triumph: ‘Something needs to be done'

South Africa legend AB de Villiers has given his honest take on the World Test Championship format and stated that something needs to be done to change things. The upcoming WTC cycle for 2025–2027 is set to kick off with a marquee five-match Test series between India and England, beginning in late June this year. This highly anticipated series will start just five days after the conclusion of the 2023–2025 WTC final, which saw South Africa dethrone Australia at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground to become the new champions. With little time to reset between cycles, the India-England clash will set the tone for the new championship race.
The WTC format drew criticism during the previous cycle after South Africa secured a spot in the final, sparking debate among fans and experts alike. Many questioned the fairness of the points system and scheduling, arguing that South Africa's qualification route was less challenging compared to fellow finalists Australia. Critics pointed to fewer matches played and a perceived imbalance in opposition strength, raising concerns over whether the current structure truly reflects the best-performing teams over the course of the cycle.
The former Proteas skipper admitted that something needs to be done to tweak the WTC format, suggesting that some improvements have already been made in the next cycle.
'[This moment] won't be lost. But yes, to a certain extent, something needs to be done. I saw the schedule that came out for the next cycle of the WTC and there is an improvement, but I still feel there's work that needs to be done there to just to get it as consistent as possible and as fair as possible for all for all Test-playing nations," De Villiers told BBC Sport.
He further advised for a four-year cycle in future where every participating team can face each other.
'You want to get to that final feeling like you've played against all these nations. Maybe a four-year cycle would be nice. We've done that in the past with one-day internationals, so why not in Test cricket? It would make sense and it would give the organisers just so much more time to get a really fair, well-balanced system out there," he added.
De Villiers, who was present at Lord's when South Africa lifted the WTC mace, talked about the historic moment in Proteas cricket history.
'It's a long time until our next Test match, but there's no doubt it won't be forgotten. I've absolutely no doubt the Proteas have sort of stirred the emotions of the South African cricketing fans and they will patiently wait for that next encounter," he concluded.

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