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ECB And CA At Loggerheads Over Two-Tier WTC Proposal As ICC Open Discussions

Arnav Chopra

Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes (Source: AFP Photos)Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes (Source: AFP Photos)

With Test cricket all set to get an overhaul, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is keen to explore the idea of a two-tier World Test Championship. From 2027 onwards, the WTC is expected to have a different system compared to the current system.

England Cricket Not Really In Favour Of Two-Tiers

Although the proposal is still in discussions, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is not actually very keen on having the two-tier World Test Championship. Something that has been in discussions for the last 15-16 years, the two-tier championship, according to ECB chairman Richard Thompson, does not serve them well for several reasons.

Among one is the fact that if they end up in the bottom place in the first division, they might just be relegated to the second division for the next two years and would have to play teams with lesser standings and not being able to feature against the top-tier sides in Australia and India, which could be a major potential loss for them.

"There's a lot of options that we've got to look at - tiers would be one of them. We wouldn't want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don't play Australia and India? That couldn't happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here," Richard Thompson said on BBC's Test Match Special.

He believes the WTC has done better in terms of what it's doing right now, and there's only a need for a few changes, rather than having a proper change in format, which could not do well for many of those nations. He further adds that it could bring a loss of revenue for the teams in the lower division, which is not necessary at this stage.

Although the ECB isn't the only one that hasn't shown support for the two-tier model, many other nations, especially those in the lower tier, are believed not to support this proposal as well.

Cricket Australia 'Open' To Discussions

On the other hand, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg seems to have an 'open mind' when the topic of a two-tier system came up. He feels that this two-tier model can bring something to the teams, especially those in the lower division, as they will be able to compete against teams of their calibre and will have better games and more thrilling matches in Test matches. 

However, he was wary of the fact that it could also have a negative effect on the overall health of Test cricket, as there are chances that many teams would not benefit and lose out on revenue or even playing against top-tier nations that could further deprive Test cricket.

"My open mind is in reference to, if it helps grow the opportunities for those other countries to be stronger, and have better resources in Test match cricket, if it does that, then I'm open for it. But if it doesn't achieve that, and it actually affects the opposite, then I wouldn't be supportive," Greenberg mentioned.

Although with all the discussions going on, the meeting that was completed in Singapore a few days ago brought out the topic, and as evident, there were people with different ideas on the board who seem to have different suggestions, which are still in debate.