A bold idea to split Test cricket into Two-Tier Tests is running into stubborn opposition from the game’s biggest boards.
The proposal for Two-Tier Tests — a split of the 12 Test nations into two divisions with promotion and relegation — is quickly proving more controversial than its backers might have hoped. And in cricket politics, once the big boards start frowning, ideas tend to stall.
Under the suggested model, India, Australia and England — the Big Three — would sit in the top division alongside South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, based on rankings. The rest — Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe — would fight it out in Division Two. Promotion and relegation would happen after every cycle. On paper, it’s tidy. In reality, it’s a mess.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is already out in the open with its opposition. Chair Richard Thomson didn’t mince words: “We wouldn’t want, as England, if we go through a fallow period, to fall into Division Two and not play Australia or India. That simply couldn’t happen. Common sense needs to prevail.” The money from India or Australia tours is too big to risk, and England has just come off a blockbuster series with India.
Pakistan’s board is also against it, calling the idea premature with the Test schedule locked for two more years. Cricket West Indies has been more diplomatic but says any overhaul must start with the finances. CEO Chris Dehring put it plainly: the current model “is not fit for purpose” and needs a major rethink before any structural change.
Supporters argue the concept could revive interest in Tests outside the Big Three. A source close to discussions pointed out, “That can be achieved not by staging frequent series among the Big Three, but by involving them in contests with other nations.” But here’s the catch — the ICC’s Future Tours Programme is mapped out four years ahead. If a lower-ranked team got promoted mid-cycle, the fixtures would be a nightmare to reshuffle.
Still, there are champions of the plan. Former New Zealand batter Roger Twose is one, and Cricket Australia seems open. The ICC working group, which includes Chair Jay Shah, Twose, ECB CEO Richard Gould and ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta, will present its recommendations by year’s end.
Whether the Two-Tier Tests survive the politics and money talk might just be the toughest test cricket has faced in years.
