ICC is preparing to divide Test teams into 2 divisions. One division will have big teams like India, Australia, England. The ICC plans that the big teams should play more series against each other. If approved, the scheme will be implemented after 2027. The schedule till 2027 is already fixed.
According to a report in Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, ICC president Jay Shah along with all three boards (BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB) wants these three major countries to play as much Test cricket as possible against each other. Along with this, two series of 5-5 test matches will be held between these teams every three years. Currently there are two series between them every 4 years.
ICC President Jay Shah may meet Cricket Australia President Mike Baird and England Cricket Board Chief Richard Thompson in the last week of January. Citing two sources, the newspaper claimed that the issue of a 2-tier structure in Test cricket is on the agenda of the meeting.
The 2 tier system concept arrived in 2016 The concept of 2 tier system in Test cricket was introduced in 2016. However, the plan was shelved due to opposition from many countries. The protesting countries argue that this will give their teams less chance to play Test matches. The protesting countries also got India's support.
Then BCCI president Anurag Thakur said that-
BCCI is against the 2 tier test system as it will hurt the smaller countries. BCCI wants to take care of it. It is important to protect their interests. In a 2 tier system they will lose funding and opportunities to play against top teams. We don't want that. We want to work in the best interest of world cricket and that is why our team plays against all countries.
Why implement now? The 5-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy played between Australia and India in the last 2 months saw huge crowds. Apart from fans, a large number of fans also tuned into the series on broadcast and live streaming. BGT is the fourth most watched series of all time in Australia. More than 8 lakh fans have come to the ground to watch the match of this series.
Cricket Australia has released these figures on its social platform X. The biggest thing is that this time India is also in its support.
Cricket Australia revealed the number of fans who watched the series through this post.
Expert opinion…
The 2 tier system has been endorsed by former Indian coach Ravi Shastri. He said during the Sydney Test commentary-
If you want Test cricket to survive and thrive and thrive, I think this is the way to go. Top teams should play against each other as much as possible. There is real competition in this, which is what you need.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).