ECB not keen on two-tier WTC; fears relegation and no series against India, Australia

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is not keen on the proposal for a two-tier World Test Championship (WTC), but the stand is based less on any altruistic philosophy or as a champion of inclusion and more on vested interest.

Despite the much-hyped Bazball philosophy over the last three years, England have struggled to put tangible results on the board, and the ECB is wary of falling into the lower division of a revamped Test structure, thus depriving it of their most storied rivalries.

“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 chairman Richard Thompson told BBC’s Test Match Special.

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India, England and Australia are often referred to as the ‘Big Three’ in cricket. Test series between them are played over five matches and attract a lot of eyeballs and revenue. The just-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy saw nail-biting contests, high drama and on-field skirmishes in a series that ended 2-2 after a classic at The Oval. The 2023 Ashes in England was also a memorable encounter, also finishing 2-2 after the hosts recovered from a 0-2 deficit. The return series Down Under, starting in November this year, is highly anticipated.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set up a Working Group under former New Zealand batsman Roger Twose to look into ways of improving the WTC format ahead of the 2027-29 cycle, and one of the options on the table is a two-tier system with promotion and relegation built into it.

Instead of backing the two-tier formula, Thompson wants the current WTC structure to be tweaked, citing the underdog story of South Africa emerging as champions in the final in June, beating favourites Australia.

“The World Test Championship could work better than it does. It has definitely improved the narrative, [and] it has created a relevance,” Thompson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “Seeing what it meant for South Africa to win – who are crushed by rugby in their own country – and seeing players I know really well, like Graeme Smith, in tears on the outfield, that was a real moment seeing them win… It’s still good for the game when the underdog wins.”

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New Zealand, frequently punching above their weight in international cricket, were the inaugural WTC champions in 2021, beating India in the final.

That cricket will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is another factor that needs to be considered ahead of the 2027-29 WTC cycle.

“If the WTC was improved upon and certain changes were made, maybe you don’t need two tiers of Test cricket. What you do need is a schedule that makes a lot more sense than it currently does, and that must include the volume of bilateral cricket that you play, white-ball and red-ball, and recognising that from 2028, we have an Olympics,” Thompson said.

“So what happens in 2028, when we have an Olympics, and our best 11 cricketers have got to go to LA for two weeks in the middle of July? That is going to throw up some challenges.”

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