The World Test Championship, which was to be held in England in the summer of '17, is "expected to be laid quietly to rest by the end of the month," according to Andy Wilson of the London GUARDIAN. It will be the second -- and probably last -- time that the idea of a playoff between the top teams in the Int'l Cricket Council's world Test rankings "has been shelved, because sponsors and broadcasters remain lukewarm, at best, about the uncertainty which inevitably surrounds the format." That "could mean another reprieve" for the ICC Champions Trophy, the one-day tournament that has been staged seven times since '98, and again appeared "far too short, sharp and attractive to consign to the scrapheap" when India beat England in what was due to be the last final at Edgbaston in June. The confirmation of its demise -- and what will come in its place -- is expected after an ICC meeting later this month. The delegates "also seem certain to discuss the uncertainty" over the World Twenty20 which starts in Bangladesh in little more than two months (GUARDIAN, 1/13).
