'We Never Needed WTC': Ben Stokes Give ICC Reality Check, Speaks Bluntly On World Test Championship's Relevance

WTC 2025: The International Cricket Council (ICC) continues to come up with new innovations and rule changes to keep cricket relevant. With the advent of T20 cricket and its growing popularity, the ICC at some point in time felt that Test cricket was losing its relevance, and it would be tough for the format to survive in an era where there was a huge demand for slam-bang cricket.

The ICC had introduced the World Test Championship to increase emphasis on the longer format of the game, with the first Test of the tournament being played in the 2019 Ashes series. Each cycle of the World Test Championship basically goes on for two years, and at the end of it, the two best teams of the two-year period play against each other in the summit clash of the tournament. Ahead of the IND vs ENG Test series, Ben Stokes has given his honest take on the World Test Championship.

Test Cricket Does Not Need WTC, Feels Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, and he has proved it time and again with his cricketing prowess. Stokes is a T20 World Cup winner and an ODI World Cup winner. Stokes is a character who is never afraid to speak his mind out on any matter. The biggest achievement that the English skipper will always be proud of is how he and his team revolutionized Test cricket.

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Stokes gave a very unpopular opinion on the WTC and said that Test cricket never needed it. 'Every series is massive, even if it's a three-match series, two-match series, or a five-match series. We never needed WTC to put more onus on Test cricket. People just want to say big things about the WTC because it has become big now,' said the English captain.

Ben Stokes Opens Up On Virat Kohli's Impact

The English skipper also reflected on Virat Kohli's absence from Test cricket. In a candid chat on the ECB's Instagram, Stokes said that it is a shame that he wouldn't get to compete against Kohli in the longest format of the game and also said that India will miss the impact that Virat Kohli has.

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