CA, ECB, ICC chiefs to discuss two-tier Test structure soon
CA, ECB, ICC chiefs to discuss two-tier Test structure soon
The chairs of Cricket Australia (CA), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are reportedly set to meet later in January to discuss where each of them stand on the matter of the introduction of a two-tier structure in Test cricket.
According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, record attendance in the stadiums and encouraging broadcast numbers during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – the recently concluded Australia vs India series was the fourth-best attended ever in the country and reportedly the most-watched Test series ever played – have encouraged Mike Baird (CA), Richard Thompson (ECB) and Jay Shah (ICC) to hold advanced talks.
The new format can only be introduced after the end of the Future Tours Programme in 2027.
As it stands, India, Australia and England play each other twice every four years. An overwhelming majority of experts now believe that the introduction of a system where the top teams tweak their calendars in a way they get to play each other twice in three years could prove beneficial for the popularity of Tests.
The concept of two tiers in Test cricket came up for discussion at the ICC in 2016. It had floated a model where seven nations would compete in the top division and five in a lower league. But a number of bodies protested against the call, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sri Lanka Cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket.
The introduction of this structure would, however, ring the death knell of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The WTC cycle, since its inception in 2019, did add context to the longer format of the game but it has also invited criticism from certain Boards from time to time.
