Ravi Shastri has a new idea for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. He loves Lord’s but says it’s not big enough to hold the massive crowd the WTC Final can attract.
He thinks once the WTC becomes more popular, it should be played in bigger stadiums like the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad or the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. So far all finals have been in England.
The WTC started in 2021 and has always been in England:
2021 – India vs New Zealand at Southampton.
2023 – India vs Australia at The Oval.
2025 – Australia vs South Africa at Lord’s.
Each was special, especially the recent one where South Africa ended their 27-year ICC trophy drought. But none of the stadiums could hold more than 30,000 fans.
Speaking on a Wisden Cricket podcast, Shastri said Lord’s is fine for now but the WTC should eventually move to venues where more fans can be part of the moment.
He said:
“Lord’s is great but it’s not a 100,000-seater. The MCG and Ahmedabad can be great places for a WTC Final. You know you’ll get a full crowd no matter which team plays.”
He believes big crowds bring big energy which makes a final even more special.
The ICC has already decided the 2027 WTC Final will be at Lord’s again. Reports also suggest England will host the 2029 and 2031 finals too. The BCCI had tried to bring the 2027 final to India but their bid was rejected.
Why does the ICC choose England? Mainly because it has a strong Test cricket culture and neutral fans who turn up no matter who’s playing. But that doesn’t mean things can’t change in the future.
The WTC is growing. Fans are slowly starting to care more about who wins the final. So why not give it the scale it deserves? If white-ball ICC events can move across countries, maybe the WTC Final can too.
Big stadiums, packed stands and louder fans can make the final feel like a global event. Shastri’s idea isn’t just bold – it might just be what Test cricket needs.
