Former South African cricketer AB De Villiers wants changes in the World Test Championship (WTC) format to make it fair for all teams. South Africa recently won the WTC 2025 final at the Lord’s with AB De Villiers in attendance. South Africa’s World Test Championship triumph “stirred the emotions” of the country, but there is “still work to be done” on the format, says Proteas legend AB de Villiers.
AB de Villiers had a brilliant week as both his national team and former IPL franchise ended their trophy droughts in June.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad in the IPL 2025 final to lift their maiden trophy in the 18th edition of the tournament on June 3.
A week later, Temba Bavuma-led side scripted history by beating the Aussies by five wickets as they chased down 282 in the WTC 2025 summit clash at Lord’s on June 10, the fourth day of the ultimate Test. This was only the second ICC crown for the Proteas after the 1998 Champions Trophy.
Temba Bavuma’s side beat Australia by five wickets in the Lord’s final last week to end the country’s 27-year wait for a men’s global title. The victory comes after a number of near misses in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments that earned the Proteas their unwanted “chokers” tag, but AB De Villiers hopes that can now become a thing of the past.
This was South Africa’s second ICC title win and first-ever world trophy, but critics have questioned them playing fewer matches against the top teams in the 2023-25 cycle as compared to the losing finalist, Australia.
South Africa pips Australia to win the prestigious WTC 2023-25 title.
It was a long wait that culminated in delight. Until Saturday’s high at Lord’s, South Africa was often resigned to playing second fiddle in the big cricketing contests. The Proteas always had strong units and some great players, but a stumble in the climactic stages of ICC events became the norm. Finally, when Temba Bavuma’s men prevailed over defending champion Australia in the World Test Championship’s summit clash in London, many ghosts were laid to rest.
South Africa’s previous ICC silverware was the title in the Wills International Cup at Dhaka in 1998. That tournament became the precursor to the Champions Trophy and even as this particular event grew, South Africa regressed with comical run-outs, dropped catches and miscalculation of rain-rules often becoming steep hurdles.
To concede a first innings lead and then to chase 282 in a grim fourth innings pursuit was never easy, but a dogged Bavuma and centurion Aiden Markram ensured that the early strikes of spearhead Kagiso Rabada were never wasted. The trio performed admirably and it was also a reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute South Africa, often called the Rainbow Nation. This fact and the need for unity was reiterated through Bavuma’s impassioned post-match speech. The skipper truly led from the front.
Cricket needed this result as whispers of the ‘Big Three’ of India, Australia and England, calling the shots and elbowing out other opposition in the overall scheduling have been doing the rounds. Besides applying salve to a country searching for cricketing glory, the South African triumph also revealed that other teams can acquire the champions’ halo. To get past Pat Cummins and his men is always tough but Bavuma and his troops held firm in an engrossing Test.
Australia has a potent attack that never allows batters to settle, and to counter this and emerge on top is a tribute to an outfit that was acutely conscious about past failures. Even last year, Markram’s men slipped in the ICC T20 World Cup final against India. From being tagged as chokers and to then become the number one Test squad is a stupendous achievement.
South Africa never had it easy in cricket as its previous apartheid policy rightly left it isolated from sport. The comeback was gradual from the 1990s and then the match-fixing crisis that consumed Hansie Cronje, was a mighty blow. To put all these setbacks and losses behind them needed a special effort and it was this that Bavuma and his men provided at cricket’s spiritual home.
The 2025-27 WTC cycle began on Tuesday and, as it stands, the number of Tests each team plays over the two years varies significantly. South Africa played 12 matches to qualify for the recent final, the joint-fewest of the nine sides and 10 fewer than England, who played the most, with percentage of points earned used to determine the standings.
There is also a discrepancy in who each nation plays, with some highlighting a favourable schedule for the Proteas in 2023-25 qualifying that meant they played just two home Tests against India and did not face Australia or England at all.
By contrast, in the new cycle they have the two aforementioned Tests in India and host both Australia and England for three Tests apiece in 2026 and early 2027. Former South African cricketer AB De Villiers who was in the stands to witness this special win from South Africa called it a wonderful acheivement but he also had cited out flaws in the WTC format which need to change.
AB De Villiers calls for changes in WTC formatÂ
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.
Former South Africa captain AB De Villiers has called for changes in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, days after his national team won their maiden trophy by beating Australia in the final. The cricketer-turned-YouTuber wants the WTC schedule to be fair and consistent for all Test-playing nations. The 41-year-old suggested a four-year cycle like the ODI World Cup instead of two-year cycles to ensure each side plays against other teams.
AB De Villiers’ remarks came as the Proteas played the joint fewest matches, 12, out of the nine teams, 10 games fewer than England, who played the most during the WTC 2023-25 cycle. South Africa played only two home Tests, with no series scheduled against Australia and England in the previous cycle.
The former Proteas skipper AB De Villiers 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,” AB 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.
AB De Villiers, who was present at Lord’s when South Africa lifted the WTC mace, talked about the historic moment in Proteas cricket history.
The legendary batter AB De Villiers further lauded South Africa for ending their 27-year-long ICC trophy drought, saying the moment will not be forgotten:
“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.
Number of WTC 2025-27 matches for each team (via Wikipedia):
- Australia: 22
- Bangladesh: 12
- England: 21
- India: 18
- New Zealand: 16
- Pakistan: 13
- South Africa: 14
- Sri Lanka: 12
- West Indies: 14
South Africa will begin their WTC 2025-27 cycle against Zimbabwe in a two-match Test series, which starts in Bulawayo on June 28.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Aiden Markram’s 136 Runs Power South Africa To WTC Triumph