Two-division Test cricket on agenda with ICC to consider WTC expansion

The International Cricket Council has set up a working group to explore moving to a system of two-division Test cricket for the first time in what would be one of the most radical changes in the 133-year history of the global game.

In the first annual general meeting under the new all-Indian leadership of the chair, Jay Shah, and the chief executive, Sanjog Gupta, held in Singapore at the weekend, the ICC appointed an eight-strong working party with a remit to report recommendations to the board by the end of the year.

Any changes would be introduced for the next cycle of the World Test Championship, due to run from 2027 to 2029, and involve an expansion from the current nine-team format to two divisions of six. Gupta, who joined the ICC this month from the Indian broadcaster JioStar, will chair the working party, which also features the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive, Richard Gould, and the Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive, Todd Greenberg.

The two-division concept first emerged from meetings between CA and the ECB during the women’s Ashes last January. CA, in particular, is a major advocate and has pushed a model that would involve Australia, England and India playing against each other twice every three years rather than the current setup of two series in four years. Although this would appeal to broadcasters and be hugely lucrative, the ECB is understood to have reservations about scheduling more Test series between the so-called big three, as it would further entrench their huge financial advantage over other international sides.

The presence of Gupta, Gould and Greenberg on the working group suggests there is a strong possibility the two-division model will be adopted, although the devil will be in the detail of their findings.

With such a significant change requiring the support of a two-thirds majority of the ICC’s 12 full members, the biggest challenge will be to agree on a system of promotion and relegation between the two divisions to prevent the smaller nations being cut adrift. An increased package of financial support for countries starting in division two may also be required. Under the current ICC Test rankings, the world Test champions, South Africa, plus New Zealand and Sri Lanka would join the big three in division one, with Ireland, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in line to be admitted to the World Test Championship for the first time to join Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe in division two.

This development came as the ICC announced in Singapore that England will stage the next three World Test Championship finals. The first three showpieces have been held in England, most recently last month at Lord’s, as South Africa were crowned champions for the first time by defeating the holders, Australia.

The ICC also discussed creating a new Twenty20 Champions League or World Club Championship that would feature franchises from the Indian Premier League, the Hundred and the Big Bash, but no formal proposal was tabled.

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A previous T20 Champions League run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, CA and Cricket South Africa was launched in 2008 and lasted until 2014, but collapsed after the main broadcaster ESPN Star failed to pay rights fees. The ICC has expressed interest in running its own version, but it would be a complex undertaking, not least as many of the IPL owners have bought franchises in other countries including South Africa’s SA20, Major League Cricket in the and ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates. The owners of Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad are also in the process of buying into four Hundred franchises.

Some of the world’s top T20 players represent as many as four or five franchises each year, so determining whom they would represent would not be straightforward, with 2027 seen as the most likely start date for a new global tournament as that coincides with the end of the ICC’s $3bn (£2.25bn) Indian TV deal with Disney Star.

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