Two-Tier Talk for Test Cricket: Why the ECB Is Wary and CA Stays Open-Minded

Debate over a two-division World Test Championship (WTC) has returned to the ICC table. A working group led by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose is studying changes for the 2027-29 cycle, and one idea is a promotion-relegation model. England and Australia, however, view the proposal through different lenses.

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What a Two-Division WTC Could Look Like

Feature	Division One	Division Two
Teams	6–8 best-ranked Full Members	Remaining Full Members + top Associates
Matches	Home-and-away (3-Test series suggested)	Flexible (2-Test series possible)
Points	Win = 12, Draw = 4 (tweaks likely)	Same scale
Movement	Bottom two relegated	Top two promoted
Goal	Top 2 play WTC Final	Promotion to top tier

The model aims to offer meaningful stakes for every Test, shorten the calendar for leading teams, and give emerging sides a promotion path.

ECB’s Red Flag: Risking the Ashes and India Series

Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, ECB chair Richard Thompson said England could not accept a structure that might dump them into Division Two.

“We may go through a fallow period and that means what, we fall into Division Two and don’t play Australia and India? That couldn’t happen.”

Commercial hit – Ashes and India tours generate more than 60% of the ECB’s broadcast revenue.
Crowd pull – England averaged 26,500 spectators per Test in 2024; West Indies drew 12,000.
Brand concern – Fear of devaluing the “England v Australia” narrative built over 141 years.

Thompson prefers tweaks to the existing WTC, such as equalising fixtures and tightening windows, rather than a hard split.

CA’s Conditional Support: Help the Stragglers

Across the Tasman, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg is “open-minded” provided the structure strengthens struggling boards.

“If it helps West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa become stronger, I’m open. If it weakens them, I’m not.”

Greenberg argues big three boards must invest in other nations’ first-class systems—coaching exchanges, A-Tours, revenue sharing—so promotion becomes realistic, not cosmetic.

Why the ICC Is Pushing Now

Calendar crunch – By 2028 Test schedules must accommodate the Los Angeles Olympic T20, a 14-team T20 World Cup and booming domestic leagues.
Media rights sale – The 2027-31 ICC package goes to market next year; broadcasters want a defined Test narrative.
Competitive gaps – Since 2021 only seven of 27 WTC fixtures featured West Indies, Zimbabwe or Ireland; promotion could guarantee them big-ticket Tests.

Key Reservations Around the Table

Concern	Boards Most Vocal
Relegation = revenue plunge	England, India, Australia, Pakistan
Loss of “big series” certainty	England, Australia
Ego & status	Most Full Members
Travel costs for lower tier	Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Player workload fairness	All

Alternatives on the Whiteboard

Weighted points – Extra points for away wins and longer series, without tiers.
WTC conference model – Two conferences of six, cross-conference final; no relegation.
Guaranteed rivalry slots – Even in a two-tier system, pre-assigned marquee series (Ashes, Border-Gavaskar) override divisions.

What Happens Next?

Twose committee delivers recommendations by early 2026.
Boards negotiate bilateral MoUs for 2027-29 while waiting for clarity.
ICC media-rights tender (late 2026) likely forces a decision—broadcasters will price in format certainty.

The Balancing Act

Test cricket’s guardians face a classic squeeze: retain historic rivalries that bankroll the game and create opportunity for smaller nations. Whether the answer is two tiers, a tuned-up WTC, or a hybrid, the next 18 months will decide the shape of red-ball cricket for the 2030s.

As Thompson warned, “common sense needs to play out”—but common sense, in cricket politics, rarely arrives without a few bruising overs first.

The Cricket Standard