Mumbai: David Warner was still there facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad when Australia launched their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. When you consider how Warner has transitioned into a freelance T20 player, it seems like a lifetime ago. If he has any retirement pangs, Anderson will soon be able to alleviate them with a trophy that will bear his name. He has moved to the South African side as a bowling coach with Broad, where he will provide a crash course on how to defeat his old foe Australia.

The length of the playing cycle is the least contentious topic with the WTC. On the eve of the match, at Lord's, Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma posed with the WTC mace, which is made of sterling silver and gold plates, amidst some unease over their different approaches to the final. With only a few matches played (12 Tests), South Africa qualified for the tournament, whereas Australia withstood the hardships of two five-Test series against England and India (19 Tests).

"To be honest, I'm sick of discussing it. What matters is that we are here. As the World Test champions, we have the opportunity to leave, according to South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad.

Conrad is correct. South Africa is not to blame. They have abided by the rules. The fact that India's Champions Trophy schedule was less harsh than the other teams' is not India's fault. The complicated structure under which many of cricket's global events are now staged, with each format vying for space with the franchise calendar, means that there is no ideal solution in sight.

Retirements should be tested

Only in the last few days did the SA coach assume command. Test retirements have become commonplace, ranging from Quinton de Kock in the previous cycle to Heinrich Klaasen in the current one. The fact that South Africa managed to record a string of victories towards the conclusion of the WTC cycle was coincidental. They had even ceased pushing and essentially handed New Zealand victories in the away series in February 2024, when they fielded a severely depleted squad while the best of their talent was competing in the SA20.

"You begin to estimate how much things cost you anytime I enter the stores here. Given that we can't afford to pay our Test players, it's not unexpected that we can't compete," Conrad said candidly. "Therefore, it's about focusing on certain tours where we could give them a break and ensure that some conditioning is able to happen. They have the chance to make some USD anytime we're not playing.

The issue is if Test cricket is in a better state now than it was two years ago, at the start of this WTC cycle. Only Australia, England, and India can now afford to compete in five-Test series, both at home and away, and profit from them.

However, one may contend that, were it not for the World Trade Center, Cricket South Africa may not have even attempted to host Test cricket, which would have perhaps resulted in a lost generation of Test talent for a cricket nation that has been among the most competitive since the return after the end of apartheid.

Some have speculated that passing the Lord's final would rekindle public interest in Test cricket in South Africa. However, the Future Tours Program makes no mention of this. In South Africa, there won't be another Home Test for a year.

Recently, Zimbabwe has been playing a lot more Test cricket. Furthermore, they are not among the best teams competing for the World Test Championship. However, they are one of the 12 Test squads, which is not an imagined advantage. The test status results in a considerably larger amount of money from the ICC than Associate teams.

In the end, that's what it all comes down to. The point of playing Test cricket will be lost on national boards if they are unable to make it financially viable. The shrinking pool of global talent will make things dire. Under the present system, the possibility of a fair distribution of Test dates to identify WTC finalists is unrealistic.

single last

The nicest aspect of a one-off final is that these ongoing issues are not a major concern. Due to having played very little red-ball cricket recently, both Australia and South Africa will enter the field on Wednesday.

A sharp burst from Kagiso Rabada – he should be determined after his drug misadventure – and who knows? – as the Dukes ball tends to swing throughout the day. The fact that Australia is the defending champion and has twice as much overall team experience as its competitors would not be relevant.

Regarding the Proteas, Australia vice-captain Steve Smith said, "They're here for a reason. I don't know how the system works with the percentages and what have you, but they're here, they're in the top two, and they're a good side."

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