ICC scraps two-tier Test system idea; Afghanistan, Zimbabwe & Ireland to be added to WTC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to expand the World Test Championship (WTC). Currently, just 9 of the 12 full members feature in the league. However, some called for splitting the nations into two tiers.

Two-tier Test system rejected

India, England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa would feature in the first tier with another team, while the remaining would be in the second. Naturally, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies opposed this. But surprisingly, England wasn’t sold on the plan either.

“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,” ECB chief Richard Thompson had said in August.

12 teams in the WTC from the 2027-29 cycle

The ICC recently convened on the matter in Dubai. According to ESPNcricinfo, the idea of two tiers has been scrapped, and instead, the number of teams will be increased from 9 to 12 in the current WTC model. That means, from the next cycle, 2027-29, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland are likely to be added. Although all three nations are full members, they haven’t featured in the WTC yet.

“It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket. Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities, and there is an incentive for other teams to play them,” a board director told ESPNcricinfo.

There will be a minimum limit on the number of games to be played, but the ICC hasn’t confirmed it yet. No additional funding will be provided for hosting Test matches, which are an expensive affair. Even teams like South Africa and New Zealand usually host teams for a 2-match series due to the same reason.

This might affect Ireland. They have been struggling for funds for a while now and have lost the relevance in international cricket that they once had. Hosting Test matches might be something they can’t afford. However, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have been recently playing a lot of matches and seem ready to invest.