The ICC is floating a controversial plan to split Test cricket into two divisions for the 2027-29 World Test Championship, and it’s already dividing the big teams.
England is worried, arguing that getting relegated would mean no more Ashes or a blockbuster India series. Australia, on the other hand, is cautiously open to it, saying something needs to be done to help smaller nations stay in the game.
This all comes after the ICC put a group together last month, led by ex-New Zealand player Roger Twose, to figure out how to make the championship more compelling.
A two-tier model emerged as one of the central topics during the ICC’s annual conference in July, with formal recommendations expected in the coming months.
Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special during the opening day of the England-India Test at The Oval, ECB chairman Richard Thompson said the idea needed careful thought.
“There’s a lot of options that we’ve got to look at – tiers would be one of them,” he said. “We wouldn’t want, as England, to go through a fallow period and fall into Division Two, and then not play Australia and India. That couldn’t happen. Common sense needs to play out here.”
Thompson argued that refining the current WTC could be a better solution than adopting a split-tier system. He cited South Africa’s 2023-25 WTC title run as proof that, with the right structure, smaller nations can compete and create memorable moments.
“The World Test Championship could work better than it does. It has definitely improved the narrative and created relevance,” he said. “Maybe you don’t need two tiers of Test cricket. What you do need is a schedule that makes a lot more sense.”
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg expressed a different view, stressing that the top boards carry a responsibility to support smaller nations in the format.
“The real challenge here is what role do we all play,” Greenberg told SEN Radio. “We want strong West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa. They can’t do it alone. It’s incumbent on all of cricket to help.”
Greenberg said he remains open to the two-tier model if it strengthens weaker teams and broadens opportunities for competitive Test cricket. “If it achieves that, I’m open for it. If it does the opposite, I wouldn’t be supportive,” he said.
Whatever this working group decides, it’s going to be a huge deal, and they don’t have a lot of time. ICC members are already talking about what matches they’ll play in a few years, and the bosses are getting ready to sell the next big TV rights package.
Honestly, this whole fight over a two-division system is an old story. We’ve seen it for the last 15 years, and it always gets stuck on the same things.
First, there’s the money—teams are terrified of losing it. Then, there’s the fear—nobody wants to get sent down to a lower league. And finally, there’s the politics—you just can’t mess with the big, traditional matchups.
