The idea of splitting Test cricket into two divisions is back on the ICC’s agenda. A working group chaired by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose is exploring ways to sharpen the World Test Championship (WTC) ahead of the 2027-29 cycle, and promotion-relegation is on the table once again.
England, though, are far from convinced. Speaking on BBC Test Match Special during the recent Oval Test, ECB chair Richard Thompson warned that a hard-line two-tier system could do more harm than good. “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,” he said. “There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here.”
Cricket Australia have been more circumspect. Senior figures in Melbourne describe themselves as “open” to fresh formats, provided commercial and competitive balances are preserved. No detailed statement has been released, yet the difference in tone points to difficult negotiations ahead.
Key points so far
• ICC working group, led by Roger Twose, will report before the next board meeting.
• A two-division championship, first floated in 2009, is on the shortlist.
• ECB fears losing high-value Ashes and India series if relegated.
• CA willing to listen, but has not nailed its colours to the mast.
Why now?
Domestic T20 leagues crowd the calendar, leaving boards scrambling to find space—and money—for five-day cricket. Thompson admitted bilateral Tests are “dropping in value” as more players chase short-format contracts. The WTC has helped, he said, but only up to a point.
“The World Test Championship could work better than it does. It has definitely improved the narrative, [and] it has created a relevance,” Thompson noted. The ECB chair pointed to South Africa’s surprise win over Australia in the last final—“seeing players I know really well, like Graeme Smith, in tears on the outfield”—as proof that underdogs can still flourish.
Is two-tier the fix?
Proponents argue relegation battles would add jeopardy and give emerging nations more meaningful fixtures. Detractors worry it will entrench financial gaps: teams outside Division One could struggle to attract broadcasters, sponsors or even full-strength opposition.
Thompson prefers tweaking the existing model. Shorter series windows, a fairer points system and guaranteed cross-division fixtures could, he believes, keep marquee contests alive while offering smaller boards a clearer pathway.
The Olympic wrinkle
Cricket’s likely inclusion at Los Angeles 2028 further complicates planning. “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,” Thompson said. Any new Test calendar will have to dovetail with a busy white-ball schedule that now includes the Games.
What happens next?
Twose’s panel will canvas boards over the next few months before submitting recommendations. Several Full Members remain split; the BCCI, for instance, has historically rejected relegation, although officials have yet to state a public position this time.
Expect compromise. A hybrid structure—Division One, Division Two, plus protected “icon” series that cut across both tiers—is one model doing the rounds. Whether that satisfies both traditionalists and accountants is another matter entirely.
For now, the only certainty is that Test cricket’s guardians cannot afford to stand still. As Thompson put it, “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.”
