The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering scrapping the coin toss in Test cricket when its cricket committee meets in Mumbai at the end of this month.
Next summer’s Ashes series could be the first in 141 Test cricket to be played without the toss taking place as the ICC considers ways to reduce the impact of home advantage in its World Test Championship.
England’s attempt to take back the urn from Australia in 2019 is set to be the first series of the new-country competition.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the panel, which operates as an advisory capacity and can only make recommendations to the ICC chief executive’s committee, which is due to consider whether the option to bat or bowl first should be given to the visiting captain to encourage fairer pitches.
A similar tweak has been in place in the County Championship since 2016, whereby the away captain has the option to either bowl first or have the toss. This was brought in to cut down the number of green, seaming surfaces, which were felt to be promoting medium pace, hindering spinners and not replicating conditions encountered at Test level.
The ICC cricket committee, chaired by India’s Anil Kumble, will also look to devise a points system for the Test championship in which the top nine team play three series at home and three away over a two-year period — with the top two teams in the leagues contesting a showpiece final.
