Two-tier system: Cricket faces its latest test. Cricket News – Newz9

Hardly had the mud settled on the Border-Gavaskar sequence Down Under when a bit of stories floated and created a flutter within the cricketing world. It has emerged that AustraliaEngland, India, and the International Cricket Council’s new chair, Jay Shah, are in talks to separate Test cricket into two divisions in order that the Big Three can play one another extra typically in blockbuster sequence.
According to a report within the Australian newspaper The Age, Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird and England Cricket Board boss Richard Thompson are set to fulfill later this month, with a two-tier construction for Test cricket on the agenda.
The discussions round this idea have gained momentum because of the 2024–25 BGT sequence, comprising 5 Tests, being the fourth-finest attended sequence in Australia, with document crowds in Melbourne and Sydney, alongside excessive TV viewership.
However, based on the report, any plan to maneuver to 2 divisions in Test cricket would solely take impact after the present Future Tours Program concludes in 2027. This can also be the yr when a a hundred and fiftieth-anniversary Test match between Australia and England is scheduled on the mcg.

As per the proposal, India, Australia, and England would now not be required to play all cricketing nations and will rejig their cycles to play one another twice each three years, moderately than twice each 4 years as is presently the case. The ICC has remained silent when requested for a response.
Ironically, this improvement comes at a time when Australia is about to play South Africa—typically excluded from the ‘Big Three’ plans—within the World Test Championship ultimate at Lord’s in June.
The idea has its loyal supporters. Commenting on SEN Radio through the fifth Test at Sydney, former India coach Ravi Shastri expressed concern over the crowded schedule, advocating for extra “best versus the best” matches in Test cricket. “I’ve always believed that if you want Test cricket to survive and thrive, this is the way to go. The top teams should play each other more often, creating a contest,” Shastri stated.
The potential impression on the event—and even survival—of Test cricket within the West Indies, as soon as a cricketing powerhouse, is troubling. Naturally, voices from the West Indies have expressed concern. “A two-tier system makes sense, but space must be made for top nations to tour those in the lower bracket, or smaller nations will disappear,” warned West Indies quick-bowling legend Michael Holding in his column in The Telegraph.
Holding’s former captain Clive Lloyd additionally expressed his unease, believing that efforts ought to as a substitute concentrate on making certain struggling groups get extra alternatives to play in opposition to the highest sides.
“I think it will be terrible for all those countries who worked so hard to achieve Test status. Now they’ll be relegated to playing among themselves in the lower section. How will they reach the top? (Only) by playing against better teams,” stated the 80-yr-previous throughout a web-based media interplay.
“Honestly, a two-tier system shouldn’t happen. It’s not ideal because only the top three teams will earn more revenue,” a former Indian cricketer of reputation informed TOI, highlighting the transfer’s financial imbalance. “And if you’re talking about quality, it’s not as though India played high-class cricket in Australia.
Instead of this, the ICC should support smaller, weaker cricketing nations and focus on improving their skill levels. A proper WTC cycle, where everyone plays everyone, would be a better idea. In this WTC cycle, even Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had a chance of making it to the final at one stage. Almost all the teams were winning away from home and beating each other,” he stated.
It is vital to notice that 2024 was a yr of sudden leads to Test cricket, making it an unusually thrilling interval for the crimson-ball format. This included West Indies beautiful Australia in a pink-ball Test on the Gabba in Brisbane and India’s 3-1 defeat within the BGT final week. In this context, many argue that the previous yr has seen the rebirth of Test cricket.
“A couple of years back, in 2022, Bangladesh secured their maiden Test win in New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. We need to ensure that Test cricket remains alive and exciting. Who says Test cricket is dying? There are matches lasting the full five days too,” stated the cricketer.
Apart from the skewed income sharing, there may be additionally a sensible concern with this idea. “I feel that this idea would be good and feasible if there were 15 teams playing Test cricket,” stated former India wicketkeeper and chief selector Kiran More. “At the moment, that isn’t the case. You just have nine to ten countries playing the five-day game. How much can you shuffle between so few teams in two tiers?” requested extra.
Back dwelling, home cricket stalwarts noticed shades of the Ranji construction within the idea. “It’s a very good idea. If you can have six top cricketing nations in Tier 1 and six in Tier 2, it could work well,” stated present UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput. “A lower-ranked team like Zimbabwe, for example, would get hammered if it played against India or Australia. After the end of a WTC cycle, the bottom two in the top six could be relegated to the second tier, while the top two could be promoted for the next WTC cycle. This would mean that there would be something to play for in all the WTC matches,” defined the previous India opener.
“Like the Ranji Trophy, relegation and promotion would make things more exciting. A two-tier system would ensure that the best teams get to play against each other more often, leading to healthy competition. The lower-ranked teams would have the motivation to perform well, beat the top sides, and move up to Tier 1, while Tier 1 teams would strive to maintain their position,” he stated. “Currently, West Indies, and to an extent even Sri Lanka, don’t have strong Test teams, which means that the top sides look to secure big wins against them to accumulate points for WTC final qualification,” added Rajput.
Since its inception in 2019, the success of the WTC has proven that change in Test cricket is not all the time detrimental. With broadcasters looking forward to extra matches involving India, England, and Australia, the ICC, below its new chair Jay Shah, supported by England and Australia, will undoubtedly consider carefully concerning the two-tier idea.
In a possible win-win, may this additionally release house for a second IPL within the September-October window—a profitable prospect the BCCI has lengthy been eager on? Watch this house!