Should Test cricket have two divisions – or would that be ‘terrible’ for some sides? | Cricket news
The future of Test cricket is always a hotly debated topic in the sport.
This has been the case ever since the expansion of franchise T20 competitions began with the Indian Premier League in 2008.
That tournament has grown in popularity and other white-ball tournaments have sprung up around the world, including the Big Bash, The Hundred, Pakistan Super League and the SA20.
It has left Test cricket struggling to win the eye, stay relevant and even retain players, with ongoing conversations about how to keep the purest form of the game part of the game.
A new report from the Australian newspaper the Melbourne Age has suggested that ICC president Jay Shah will soon meet his counterparts from England and Australia to discuss a potential two-tier system.
It could see the elite sevens of England, Australia, India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, with the other Test nations – West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe – in the second division.
In that scenario – which cannot happen until the end of the Future Tours Program and the next World Test cycle in mid-2027 – the marquee series could be held more frequently with two Ashes events every three years, as opposed to the current two in four.
Atherton: I agree with divisions, but not with levels
In this sense, the attraction for two levels is obvious, but Sky Sports Cricket pundit and former England captain Michael Atherton says any new structure must allow for movement between leagues rather than creating an “entrenched elite”.
He said Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: “Levels and divisions are two different things. Divisions imply, at least for me, a chance for promotion and relegation. That would suit me.
“But I’d be against tiers where there’s no way for the bottom tier to enter the top tier and become an entrenched elite.”
In 2016, India rejected a proposal for two divisions in Test cricket over fears of further widening the gap between the format’s top-performing teams and the rest.
This must now be a cause for concern again, given that appetites for Test cricket for players in the second division may be dwindling, especially if there is no chance of promotion.
Lloyd: You only improve by playing your best
Sir Clive Lloyd, who captained the West Indies during their golden period in the 1970s and 1980s, is “disturbed” by the idea of a two-tier arrangement and wants struggling Test nations to come up against the best more often.
He said: “I think it will be terrible for all those countries who have worked so hard to get Test status. Now they will be playing each other in the bottom half.
“How will you get to the top? When you play against better teams. That’s how you know how good you are or how bad you are. I’m very disturbed.
“A better system would be to give teams an equal amount of money so they can get tools to improve.
“We struggle a lot, we need a special dispensation. Some at the bottom don’t play test matches and some play a world of test matches. The system is wrong.
“They have to sit down and sort it out, that’s what they’re here for. That’s their duty, that’s their job to do that.
“Me [West Indies] have been cash cows for many countries over the years… people need to recognize that. But now we’re in a situation where we need help and we can’t get it.”
Hussain: Test cricket has been fantastic recently
West Indies are currently eighth in the ICC Test rankings and have won just three of their last 17 matches in the format – against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Australia.
That win against Australia, in Brisbane in January 2024, was a thrilling match with fast bowler Shamar Joseph taking seven wickets with a broken toe as the tourists won by eight runs.
It kicked off a year of Test cricket that included Sri Lanka’s win over England at The Kia Oval, New Zealand handing India their first defeat at home since 2012 and Australia and India playing out a thrilling Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that saw a record 373 691 spectators turn up over the five days of the Boxing Day Test at the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said: “Am I just naive? I watched Test cricket this year and it was absolutely amazing, it was great.
“Some of the cricket, some of the crowd and some of the competitions were incredible.
“Why do people keep saying it’s a hard product to sell? I’m watching great Test cricket but people are saying it’s not a product for the future.”
But Australia’s success against India, and the amount of money contested between the two and England generate, could convince decision-makers that the best against the best is the way to go.
Get rid of ‘mess’?
This is certainly the direction in which former England captain Michael Vaughan sees the game going, he writes in Telegraph: “I have been saying for a long time that the way Test cricket remains relevant is to ensure there is less mismatch.
“I believe it’s a four-day product with a set number of overs applied each day, at least three games per series and two divisions of six, including promotion and relegation.”
Former Indian player and head coach Ravi Shastri added SEN radio after the national series in Australia, which the home team won 3-1: “It was a good reminder to the ICC that the best need to play the best for Test cricket to survive. Otherwise it’s too much of a mess.”
There is also an argument that lower ranked nations playing each other and having a better chance of winning would be more enjoyable than getting pasted by the elite.
Although not without its critics, Nations League football has seen teams play to a more equal standard, with San Marino and Gibraltar – previously beaten consistently by nations including England – securing rare victories.
Two Test cricket divisions could be acceptable to the format’s newest teams in Afghanistan and Ireland – provided, of course, that promotion remains a possibility.
Ireland have won their previous two Tests, beating Afghanistan by six wickets in the UAE and Zimbabwe in Belfast by four, after starting their tenure in the format with seven straight defeats, including two against England and two innings defeats in Sri Lanka.
‘Test cricket will never be more than a six or seven nations format’
For former South African captain Graeme Smith, Test cricket will always have fewer elite teams compared to T20, but he believes the sport’s longest format can remain in poor shape.
“Test cricket, for me, will never be more than a six or seven nations format,” Smith told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“It’s never going to grow to 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 teams like T20 potentially can, so I think more effort should be put into providing a bilateral program for Test cricket.
“If you can keep a strong six or seven nations, people will always watch. If a good team comes to South Africa, we see good crowds and interest in Test cricket.”
Still, he added: “World cricket needs a strong South Africa, it needs a strong West Indies, it needs Sri Lanka to get better.”
However, the question is how best to keep them strong, and hopefully those in charge will take their thinking into account if there are indeed discussions about a two-tier system.
Another element will be what happens with the India-Pakistan matches, with the nations currently not playing each other outside of ICC events due to political tensions.
Even in those competitions, India will not play Pakistan and vice versa until at least 2027 with neutral venues being used for the tour.
India, for example, will play its matches in Dubai when Pakistan hosts the ICC Champions Trophy in February and March.
Watch ICC Champions Trophy live Sky Sports from February 19. England’s first game is against Australia on February 22.
