The International Cricket Council is considering splitting Test cricket nations into two tiers in a radical restructuring that would allow England, India and Australia to play each other more often, according to a report in Australia.
Jay Shah, who recently took over as chairman of the ICC, has begun exploring the idea of a World Test Championship, with a top division that would comprise Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe in the second division. It is not clear whether there would be promotion or relegation.
Shah, who was chairman of the Board for Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) before taking over as head of the world governing body, plans to hold talks with the senior executives at Cricket Australia and the England Cricket Board this month.
Should the restructure, which was first reported in The Age, a Melbourne-based newspaper, get the green light it would mean the Ashes being held twice every three years. However no changes would take place before 2027, with the Future Tours Programme locked in for the next two years.
The recent five-Test series between Australia and India, which ended on Sunday in a 3-1 victory for the hosts, attracted more than 830,000 spectators, with a record 373,691 attending the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. England will host India for five Tests in mid-year before they travel to Australia for the Ashes, two series that are also expected to attract large audiences. Leading figures in the game such as Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, have called for more “best versus best” matches.
Should the proposals go ahead, though, they would have a drastic impact on the finances of the smaller test nations.
The growth of T20 franchise leagues around the world has made it more difficult for nations to have their best players available. South Africa selected a makeshift squad for their series in New Zealand at the start of last year so that the best players could prioritise the SA20. In August, there were reports that the ICC could introduce a fund from 2025 to enable nations outside the big three to have their talent available for five-day matches.
As well as the mass of T20 leagues around the world, there remains a lot of Test cricket. There were 53 men’s matches in 2024, a tally bettered only by 2001 (55) and 2002 (54). With the exception of England’s series defeat in India and the recently completed Border-Gavaskar Trophy (for which the first four Tests were in 2024), every series was of three Tests or fewer. South Africa, who will face Australia in the World Test Championship final in June, played two-Test series in Bangladesh, New Zealand, West Indies, and at home to Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The annual schedule is increasingly congested, with an almost two-month window free from international cricket allowed for the Indian Premier League, and there is also a global ICC tournament every year – either a T20 World Cup, a 50-over-World Cup or a Champions Trophy.
