Two-tier WTC: one-sided series later, can promotion and relegation save the traditional format? | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Earlier this year, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had argued for a two-tier structure in Tests with relegation and promotion to ensure the survival of the longest format of the game.“If you don’t create a two-tier system, you will continue to have unmatched teams against each other and it is then very unlikely that they will be able to win a match on day five,” Shastri wrote in a column for The Australian.

Shastri’s promotion-relegation talk seemed almost inescapable after the Ahmedabad Test between India and West Indies ended in two-and-a-half days. However, after heavy criticism, the former West Indies legend asked Roston Chase’s team to show some heart, and they played bravely in the national capital as the second Test entered the fifth day. But it was still a comfortable seven-wicket victory for India.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 14: Temba Bavuma of South Africa celebrates with the trophy during day four of the ICC World Test Championship final match between South Africa and Australia at Lords Cricket Ground on June 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

A series, in which West Indies never anticipated the Test and won a session on aggregate, will once again raise the familiar questions: how do we make Test cricket meaningful, competitive and financially sustainable, all at the same time?The question that has resurfaced in recent times is whether it is finally time to introduce a two-tier system in Test cricket. For those who don’t know, the idea is not new. First proposed in 2009 by Dave Richardson, then the ICC’s general manager of cricket, it envisages a system in which Test teams would be divided into two divisions:🔴Make sure the best teams play more against each other, and therefore🔴Introduce more contestation and competition into test matches, which will lead to🔴 More revenue and attention for the game, and make it more market friendlyAlso read: Two-tier system: Cricket faces its final test

Context and competition

After 15 years of roundabout work, the World Test Championship (WTC) emerged in 2019, with the aim of adding more context to bilateral testing. By creating a dedicated Test cricket competition and securing a flagship event for the format.The ICC has been successful in achieving its goal to some extent because even though a Test match is a ‘dead rubber’ in terms of the series it is a part of, it has significance in terms of the points it offers.The WTC added context to the bilateral tests and gave teams a table to climb and points to earn. What it hasn’t solved is the problem of one-sided competitions, as many test matches – outside the Big Three, New Zealand (the inaugural WTC winners) and South Africa (the defending champions) – end within two or three days, and without any competitiveness. This continued imbalance has renewed calls for structural changes, such as a tiered system, to make matches more fairly contested.

Also read: ECB reluctant on two-tier testing model, worried about losing major clashes

How to operate the level system

An informal tier system already exists, as we have nine teams that participate in the WTC and three that do not. However, according to reports, under the proposed tiered system, teams would be divided into two divisions, with a promotion and relegation system.Cricket analyst and writer Jarrod Kimber once championed the idea of ​​granting Test status to more countries. While Kimber suggested expanding the number of testing teams to around 20, a more realistic step might be to grant testing status to at least two additional teams before the tier system becomes a reality.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JUNE 23: Kane Williamson of New Zealand lifts the ICC World Test Championship mace with teammates following his victory during the reserve day of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand at the Hampshire Bowl on June 23, 2021 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Next, Test cricket will have 14 Test teams and two tiers of seven each, as well as a promotion and relegation system. Each team in the top tier plays the other 6 in the WTC cycle, three home and three away series, with not too big a gap in the total number of games for each team. The other thing to ensure is that tier two teams also play regular tests with each other. There is a much better chance for Ireland, Afghanistan or any other team that ends up at tier two to improve the game by playing more Tests than by playing a single Test against a top team and getting beaten. Afghanistan and Ireland were both granted Test status in 2018 and, in the eight years since, have played just 11 and 10 Tests respectively.

Sharing the cricket pie, designated testing windows and minimum wage

For many teams outside the Big Three, playing a Test match is a loss. For example, speaking to the BBC, former West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave said earlier this year: “I found it frustrating to come to England at a million-dollar cost to Cricket West Indies and see no income. »There is therefore a major concern as to how ICC will take care of the finances of teams that end up in Tier 2.

Speaking to Timesofindia.com, journalist and author Tim Wigmore said that for the tier system to work, “the main thing is that income is distributed more equitably.” Wigmore, author of the book “Test Cricket: A History”, suggested two ways to solve the problem.🔴 By introducing a centralized system in which ICC oversees bilateral tests played in the WTC, much like it does for World Cups, by issuing centralized broadcast rights at national or regional level. The revenue generated would then be distributed: part to the host country, part to the traveling team and the rest to the ICC, which would share it between the 6 to 7 level 2 teams.🔴 Alternatively, the host country could manage broadcasting and other logistics, but Test revenue would be split three ways: 45-50% to the host country, 30-35% to the traveling team and the remainder to ICC for redistribution among the tier two teams.Wigmore also proposed the idea of ​​designated windows for test matches “without franchise league competition being played at the same time”, to ensure the format received full attention and the best players were available.Additionally, Wigmore suggests that the idea of ​​introducing a minimum wage for Test cricket players could be explored, particularly for players in those competing in a possible Division Two, “so that Division Two players are still paid well enough to continue playing”.But in reality, it seems like a far-fetched dream and Shastri had rightly pointed out, “The best should play the best for Test cricket to survive.”