Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has reacted to the two-tier proposed structure in Test cricket as reports state that the International Cricket Council (ICC) could soon hold a concrete talk. Speaking on Tuesday (Jan 7) at the SA20 program, Smith reckons, implementing a promotion-relegation system could result in disparity. Recently reports stated that the ICC, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Welsh Cricket Board (ECB) could hold meetings to discuss the two-tier Test structure.
Smith reacts on new Test format
“India are probably the best because they are commercially so reliable for the other nations. But where do you find the top three nations playing each other all the time? And you can only imagine in the next FTP cycle how that’s been tied up in the background,” Smith said during an appearance on Sky Cricket.
“How does the ICC create a structure that’s fair in the top three’s eyes? I think what world cricket needs is South Africa to be strong, the West Indies to be strong, and Sri Lanka to improve. Otherwise, can you see a world where there are only three nations playing cricket in the future?” he added.
According to the latest developments, a proposed system will see India, England, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka form the top tier while Afghanistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland will form the second tier. The proposed plan includes a promotion and relegation format.
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However, any implementation of the format will see a significant change in the ICC’s Future Tour Program (FTP). This will also result in the low frequency of fixtures between top teams and non-established teams.
Currently, all teams compete under the same Test format where they compete for a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, held once in two years. Australia and South Africa will play in the 2025 edition of the final which is scheduled to take place at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in June.