England and Wales Cricket Board has announced a new points system that will be used for England’s matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer. The system, which will be used across all formats, was announced by ECB director Andrew Strauss on Wednesday, ahead of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka.
Although individual series trophies will be given, the points system will also be used whereby the teams can earn four points if they win a Test, two for a draw, two for a victory in limited-overs and one for a draw in the format.
Therefore, an overall win might not be possibly achieved till the final match is played in every series, which is the T20s in case of these summer tours. An unsponsored prize amount of £25,000 will also be put up by the board.
Strauss, the mind behind this new system, said that the idea was to keep pace with the evolving game.
"Today I'm introducing the Super Series, the winner of which will be the overall tour winner for the Sri Lanka and Pakistan series over all formats. The rationale is that the game of cricket is evolving unbelievably quickly, and I think we feel responsibility to ensure the international game develops," said the former English skipper.
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"We believe the Super Series will provide that by connecting the formats and ensuring every game counts for something more than just itself. Two separate white-ball teams and a red-ball team will be connected by something greater than their own immediate interests."
"What this doesn't do is replace any of the individual series awards this summer, so there will still be a Test series victor, plus the one-day series and the Twenty20 match as well."
He said that ECB is keen to be advanced in modernising the international game and that the board feels this is a good way to ensure the game remains relevant among fans and players.
If this points system had been used during England's tours earlier in winter, then the outcome would have been different and England would have faced a defeat in the end.
"If you look at the last two series we played - against South Africa we would have lost the Super Series in the final Twenty20, and against Pakistan in the UAE we would have won the Super Series in the super over in the final Twenty20," he said, adding that international cricket has to keep evolving.
Speaking about the points system, England captain Alastair Cook said that the team has nothing to fear about and that it is important to be open to ideas and see how it works.
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