Should the TOSS be dumped in Test cricket?

As promised, I took the time to calculate the numbers for home/away teams winning the toss. It was a lengthy exercise but provided some helpful data.

As one might expect, over the last ten years, the number of home teams winning the toss is almost equal to that of their opposition. Home teams have won the toss 164 times, away teams 167 times.

Of the 164 tosses won by home teams, they have gone on to win 80 matches, lose 35 and draw 49. This amounts to a 48.78% winning percentage and a 2.28 win-loss ratio.

Away teams losing the toss have won 21.34% of all matches with a 0.43 win-loss ratio.

Of the 167 tosses won by away teams, they have won 41 matches, lost 83 and drawn 43. This amounts to a 24.55% winning percentage and a 0.49 win-loss ratio.

Home sides that have lost the toss have still gone on to win 49.70% of the time with a 2.02 win-loss ratio.

***

Over this period, home teams have won the toss and batted first 110 times. They have won 61 matches, lost 21 and drawn 28. This equals a 55.45% winning percentage and a 2.90 win-loss ratio.

Home teams have won the toss and bowled first 54 times. They have won 19 matches, lost 14 and drawn 21. This equals a 35.18% winning percentage and a 1.35 win-loss ratio.

Away teams have won the toss and batted first 120 times. They have won 31 matches, lost 60 and drawn 29. This equals a 25.83% winning percentage and a 0.51 win-loss ratio.

Away teams have won the toss and bowled first 47 times. They have won 10 matches, lost 23 and drawn 14. This equals a 21.27% winning percentage and a 0.43 win-loss ratio.

***

As we can see from the data, away teams struggle to win matches regardless of whether they win or lose the toss. However, they do see a 3.21% increase in their winning percentage and a 0.06% boost in their win-loss ratio.

As such, away teams do receive a very slight increase in their winning percentage when getting to chose whether to bat or bowl first, but it is extremely marginal.

* All figures were calculated using the top 8 teams in the world.

Cricket as a game needs to have the factor "luck" in it.


Ok..lets go by what you say that visiting captains should be allowed to decide what they want to do.
Look at the consequences
1.Should the pitch be conducive to pace early on and spin as it breaks off,it will be a huge disadvantage following the rule you had stated,implying a highr chance of victory using this rule.


2.There will be no tension and the element of surprise to who will choose what


3.Any game you choose is decided by the call of the toss,its an even advantage


4.Funny enough..What stand will your rule hold if teams play a neutral venue

purely hypothetical this debate.  dumping the toss is not even a remote possibility.  the toss is integral to the game..intrinsic.  there is no possibility of dumping the toss.

so while interesting the way it has developed here..it is a sort of waste of time isnt it

Certainly do not support the old adage " Win Toss, Bat "

dillinger , think you meant "batted"  first and won 10 matches ,lost 23

first test should be home team bats last
winner of the test decides next match
winner of the series decides the next series
drawn test goes to home team

Good eye, ketch. Thanks. I made the changes. I, personally, would not eliminate the toss. The winning percentage of the away side getting to choose whether to bat or bowl first is very marginal, and as Master Blaster pointed out, home teams would counter this by creating dead pitches.

nor would I : no basis to change this wonderful tradition !

even the "Heads I win ,Tails you lose "  :-[

I am for the rule that you have imposed

but do you feel its justifiable to give pts to home team if its a drawn test ?

We could have a brainstorming if possible..Would be great to share wacky little ideas like these

General argument re. Toss in cricket "It's not perfect, so it should be replaced with something worse."