Australia, England, India in talks to split Tests in two

Australia, England, India and the International Cricket Council’s new chair Jay Shah are in talks to split Test cricket into two divisions so the big three nations can play each other more often in series like the just-completed Border-Gavaskar blockbuster.

Shah, Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird and England Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson are set to meet later this month. According to two sources with knowledge of talks, a two-tier structure for Test cricket is firmly on the agenda.

Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah before the Border-Gavaskar series. Credit: Getty Images

Their discussions have been given further impetus by enormous crowds and broadcast audiences for Australia’s five matches against India over the past two months, the fourth-best attended series ever in this country and reportedly the most-watched Test series ever played.

Any plan for a move to two divisions in Test cricket would kick in after the end of the current Future Tours Program in 2027, a year which will also feature a 150th anniversary Test match between Australia and England at the MCG.

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