The summer of 2005 without Pietersen? Imagining World Test finals of the past

The Spin calculated what the World Test Championship finals would have been had a forward-thinking International Cricket Council introduced the concept in the 20th century .

Australia are the most dominant team overall; they would have appeared in 15 finals from 1975-2025 .

England would have made only three : 1979 , AKA the Packer Years, 2005 and 2011 .

The West Indies team of 1983-85 included a 3 -0 win in India , a 5 -0 in England and a 6 -1 aggregate evisceration of Australia .

A year on from an epic draw in the Caribbean , 18 months before another in Pakistan , except this time a draw wasn’t on the table.

Zak Crawley , Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell will be competing for two places in the top three .

Ben Stokes ’s pre-match comments, interpreted as confirmation that Bethell would start against India , may also work in Pope 's favour.

The Spin has been smitten with Bethell with his mythical 10 Test debut at Christchurch.

Wrist-spin and wicketkeeping are among cricket's greatest arts.

Jack Russell and Ian Healy became two of the world’s best keepers throughout the 1990s .