Two-tier division in test cricket?

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Tier 1

According to reports, the first tier would comprise India, Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and New Zealand. This will ensure that the seven teams will play each other frequently. However, no report mentions whether the two divisions will be promoted or relegated. The new format is set to be implemented at the end of the 2027 FTP cycle. This means that there are two more years before this system will be applied. 

India, Australia, and England are known as the ‘Big Three’ of cricket and heavily dominate the ICC revenue-sharing program. Currently, the three teams already play more test cricket than other nations. In the WTC 2023/25 cycle, these three teams played 60 matches while the other nine teams put together played only 78 games. This could well stagnate the growth of test cricket in countries placed in Tier 2.

Tier 2

The tier 2 will reportedly consist of five teams, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland. This report comes after one of the most successful years of test cricket where the underdogs on more than one occasion surprised the favorites. The beginning of the year saw West Indies beat Australia in a pink-ball test at the Gabba. Bangladesh too surprised their Asian counterparts, Pakistan. They clean swept Pakistan away from home in a two-match series. A second tier would mean that the revenue generated in matches among the five teams would be less than what they are getting right now. 

Former South African skipper, Graeme Smith voiced his opinions over the model. He expressed how there is no other sport that restricts the top teams from competing with others. Smith believes that the proposed model could turn into a tier with only the ‘Big Three’ teams where they play only against each other.

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How will the two-tier model impact Test cricket?

The proposed model will help the teams in the first tier to generate more revenue as they play other competitive teams. On the other hand teams in the second tier are already struggling to keep test cricket alive in their respective nations. These countries often benefit from nations like Australia, India, and England playing against them. 

Teams like South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and New Zealand, even though are placed in the first tier have struggled to either generate fans and revenue for the format or have struggled to keep their players. Kiwi players, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult gave up their central contracts to be readily available to play in T20 leagues worldwide.