Australia and India are vying for the $1 million prize, but the Cricket World Cup calls for tweaking

The Cricket World Cup was supposed to make up for the shortfalls with long format bilateral matches normally played over five days.

The two-year tournament, which featured nine nations, had been hoped to provide more context for the matches and series leading up to the final in London to determine the best test-playing nation.

The WTC aimed to ignite a spark in the expensive traditional format, which remains popular in wealthy cricketing nations Australia, England and India, but is struggling for relevance elsewhere.

There are only 12 Test playing nations, but most of them cannot afford to host five-day matches that collapse on the gravity bar in these powerhouses.

So it has provided a lifeline for Test cricket, even if – perhaps inevitably – the WTC has been flawed. New Zealand shocked India when they were officially crowned world champions two years ago. It’s a baffling achievement that added to the small country’s reputation as overweight – even as the WTC is still searching for credibility.

That’s because it’s convoluted and has no rhyme or reason, essentially consisting of two-way matches – made up of different lengths and a mathematical equation no one can fathom – randomly scheduled, culminating in a glorified finale.

With the home-and-away format not possible due to cricket’s increasingly tight calendar, the integrity of the tournament is already in doubt, compounding India and Pakistan’s non-playability.

The real craziness is that the WTC is locked down to just nine teams – meaning Test nations Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are left out in the cold. They don’t play many Tests, even though everyone wants to, as highlighted by a task force set up by Zimbabwe cricket boss Tavengwa Mukuhlani to create more Test opportunities.

And for other countries that want to play long-form cricket, such as the Netherlands and Scotland, who hope for Test status one day, it is increasingly a dream to play in a format that has always been elitist and closed.

There needs to be a better way to develop and add depth to Test cricket which, even with the WTC result, feels like it is set to be further and further truncated.

There are genuine fears that Test cricket will soon be reduced to a handful of teams and a format destined for boutique status – played mostly among the superpowers.

The promotion-relegation of the WTC, the second division, would encourage these countries to focus more on developing the longer format to gain more appeal and become more inclusive.

Promotion and regulation would have increased the ICC’s commercialism, Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s director of high performance, once told me. “We pushed hard for it because it would have given the Tests a context for us, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

There are ways to make it more commercially viable and attractive to broadcasters.”

The WTC won’t be changed any time soon, and one wonders if it’s too late as the T20 franchise leagues are in the midst of a game-changing international cricket.

Meanwhile, heavyweights India and Australia are gearing up to clash in June’s final at the London Oval to battle it out for the $1.6 million prize money.

It is shaping up to be an intriguing contest in the first Test match between the countries at a neutral venue, a welcome change from playing in the comforts of home. India beat Australia at home just a few months ago in conditions that overwhelmingly suited them, but it’s fascinating to see both teams playing on uncomfortable ground.

The Blockbuster race should be a memorable finale and at the very least ensure that the WTC ends on a high note after a mixed ride.