Test Proposal to split test cricket into two divisions

[Jim Prideaux]

A two-tier system will save Test cricket. Here’s why

Give cricket fans what they want – more matches between the very best.

www.theage.com.au

Michael Vaughan is unsurprisingly for it

 

[Bucking Beads]

This would be a disaster for World Test Cricket but would be great for the Big 3 nations that would play each other more. The solution to grow test cricket is to play more of it and play all oppositions not just the regular joes. We need the smaller test nations to be unearthing the Shame Josephs of the world.

 

[It Just Is]

A two-tier system will save Test cricket. Here’s why

Give cricket fans what they want – more matches between the very best.

www.theage.com.au

Michael Vaughan is unsurprisingly for it

This article is a scatter gun of more or less unrelated ideas, including a promotion and regeneration system were England can’t be relegated, and no explanation of what is being done to support development in ‘lesser’ nations.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

This article is a scatter gun of more or less unrelated ideas, including a promotion and regeneration system were England can’t be relegated, and no explanation of what is being done to support development in ‘lesser’ nations.

Pretty much. I don’t mind the idea of promotion and relegation, but everyone has to be in the gun for it. It would also make future planning difficult. 2 groups of 6 teams with everyone having to play each other in a minimum 3 test series every 2 years (in your group of 6). Won’t happen though, so just leave it as is and try and fix some of the obvious issues in the current system.

 

[PhatBoy]

They seem to ignore with this promotion relegation shit that one of the reasons it works in some capacity in many other competitions is that it lasts a year. You’re down for a year maximum before getting your chance to hit back. Maybe you won’t hit back but you at least have your chance to get back up the ladder within a year.

You miss out under some of these models and your team is condemned for 2-3 years. Oh yeah that will drive the fans wild.

 

[kenneje]

The reason the Ashes and BGT are so special is because they come around once in a blue moon.

After such a positive Summer it almost feels like self sabotage.

 

[whatwhatsaywhat]

this was inevitable with jay shah moving from bcci to icc and, presumably, back to bcci at the end of his term with the icc

it's like vlad going president, pm, president again

it seems inevitable that the bgt in 2027 will be the end of test cricket as we know as we then move to a two-tier system of 4-day tests

 

[JackOutback]

Two Ashes every three years will start to render it meaningless and reduce its profitability anyway.

 

[MrAnonymous]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

 

[Gough]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

Easy, I can. Imagine being deprived of seeing another Lara or Jayawardene play because of this? Some of the most boring cricket I've ever seen was watching the great Australian sides steam roll everyone. You saw great individual performances but I don't here a lot of complaining about boring one sided cricket then.

 

[PhatBoy]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

Yeah the recent visiting ashes series have been so exciting.

 

[JackOutback]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

If I've literally just seen us play England or India, then yeah, I'd prefer to watch a different team.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

Easy, I can. Imagine being deprived of seeing another Lara or Jayawardene play because of this?

So you want to see the lesser sides in case they have a great talent coming through and you want to see that player.

Some of the most boring cricket I've ever seen was watching the great Australian sides steam roll everyone. You saw great individual performances but I don't here a lot of complaining about boring one sided cricket then.

So you don't want to see the lesser sides playing Australia, because we'll just steam roll them. So better stick to the top opposition in England and India?

 

[Broar]

The reason the Ashes and BGT are so special is because they come around once in a blue moon.

After such a positive Summer it almost feels like self sabotage.

We have different definitions of what a blue moon is.

 

[PhatBoy]

So you want to see the lesser sides in case they have a great talent coming through and you want to see that player.


So you don't want to see the lesser sides playing Australia, because we'll just steam roll them. So better stick to the top opposition in England and India?

It’s 1 test since Shamar Joseph claimed back to back five wicket hauls in his first two test matches, leading the West Indies to victory in one of them and with a little luck they weren’t that far off having a shot in the match before it, either. England haven’t won a match here for 13 years and really haven’t been close.

That’s not to say the WI are or have been a better side; of course they aren’t.

But since when has sport been about ONLY playing the best teams all the time because you assume the outcome? If that’s the case why play at all?

 

[10Dulkar]

Looks like we need a Death of a Gentleman sequel.

 

[Gethelred]

I can't hate this enough.

 

[PhatBoy]

Bangladesh against proposed tier 1 nations:

• drew last series with England 1-1
• drew last series with NZ at home 1-1
• drew last series with NZ away 1-1
• won last series with Pakistan away 2-0
• drew last series with Australia 1-1

They also drew their last series away with the West Indies who drew THEIR last away series with Australia and beat England at home last time they hosted them.

How the f**k is this fair on them

 

[Jim Prideaux]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

I honestly love series against Pakistan, WI and Sri Lanka. There’s a multitude of reasons why, but particularly the away tours as 1) they’re great to watch 2) we get to test our players in foreign conditions 3) we get to see our extended squad of players more often. At home you get to see their star players up close

 

[Teen Wolf]

Wouldn't you actually wait for there to be a proposed structure before judging its fairness? Atm there's just an article from one guy with an anonymous source and no specific details.

This...

A two-tiered future?

Possible seven-team first division for Test cricket: South Africa, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Second division: West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

... was clearly just something thrown together by an editor at The Age without insight.

 

[BGman]

a promotion and regeneration system

I am all for that. Say winner of D2 is promoted to D1 and loser of D1 is relegated to D2. But cant see ICC countenancing relegation of the big 3 as that is the prime reason for the two divisions.

 

[Gethelred]

At the end of the day, can anyone here really say they'd prefer (say) the West Indies or Sri Lanka to tour Australia, in any given summer, when India or England are options on the table?

I know what I'm choosing.

Dude, the beat test last summer was when a WI bowler drew a test series with two spells of fast bowling. Kamindu Mendis averages 74 at test level. The best spinner of last decade was Herath, and he made us look like absolute fools.

This is a terrible ****ing idea, and would definitively spell the end of test match cricket. Why would you as an upcoming South African opt to play long form cricket at home when you can just move to England and get paid to play county and leapfrog the lesser division? Why would you even pick up a cricket bat if you live in Barbados, with basketball being closer, better paid, and easier to get to the highest level of achievement?

It would be an utter betrayal. **** that, and duck Michael Vaughan for suggesting it.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Guess not. We'll just keep reacting to the proposals we've drummed up in our heads.

 

[Lia]

Terrible idea obviously driven by Indian greed.

 

[BGman]

... was clearly just something thrown together by an editor at The Age without insight.

If it was speculation coming first from one of his scribes doubt his editor would run with that rather hed give him a kick up the backside. Something like this was mooted back before WTC came into being.