ICC is planning to hold more Test series between the three countries with India-Australia and England Cricket Board and the possibility of implementing a 2-tier Test system in Test cricket in a friendly way. ICC’s new President Joe Biden will talk to Australia President Mike Baird and England Cricket Chief Richard Thomson at the end of January to play more Test series between the best teams. Sources from leading newspapers have revealed that any plan for a 2-tier system in Test cricket will start only after the current future schedule of 2027 ends.
The fifth and final Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy which was played at Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia saw a record 47586 spectators on the first day, which is a record in itself. In the year 2016, a senior BCCI official had told them that the ICC is discussing the two-tier 10 system for the first time. At that time, apart from BCCI, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh Cricket Boards have opposed such a move. They feel that there will be a decline in income and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe Cricket Boards feel that due to this system, small countries will not get the opportunity to play Test series against top teams.
Former head coach of Team India, Ravi Shastri has also openly supported the two-tier Test system in Test matches. Ravi Shastri believes that to keep Test cricket alive, the best players should play against the best teams. Ravi Shastri has said that breaking every record of audience attendance during the Border Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia is proof that when the best team plays, the best format of the game is still alive and flourishing, but if this does not happen, there is a lot of chaos. According to Ravi Shastri, if two good teams are not playing, then there will be no crowd and the game will not go on till the fifth day, due to which the demand for conducting Test matches on four days starts rising.
In Test Macho, whenever there is a Test match between India and Australia, whether in India or Australia, a good crowd of spectators is seen in both the countries and romance remains in the series. Whenever there is a series in such Tests between England and Australia, the number of spectators in the Test match increases. That is why emphasis is being laid on conducting more Test series between the best teams so that the longest format of cricket, the Test format, remains alive.