Fear of Relegation Forces ECB to Stand Against Two-Tier Test WTC Cycle

Many experts and management officials have proposed the current structure to be divided into a two tier system for the quality of Test cricket to go up.

Fear of Relegation Forces ECB to Stand Against Two-Tier Test WTC Cycle

England cricket team (Image via Cricket Addictor)

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There is a fear that has gripped the traditionalist viewers of cricket in recent years. Many fear that the quality of Test cricket isn’t the same amongst the top 8 teams as it used to be before. In all fairness, many teams have dropped their Test match standards and often fail to compete for the entirety of five days.

On the flip side though, teams like India, Australia and England have been consistent in producing the best version of Test cricket that has ever been seen before when they go head on against each other. This prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) reviewing the current Test structure, which has all the top nine teams competing in the same WTC cycle having to play a series against each other in every WTC cycle.

Many experts and management officials have proposed the current structure be divided into a two-tier system for the quality of Test cricket to go up. The top 4 or 5 teams will be separated from the bottom ones. When the top teams compete against each other, the quality will remain constant. Similarly, when the lower ranked teams compete against each other, the quality will once again stay consistent as they would compete on a similar level.

However, as per The Telegraph‘s report, the England Cricket Board is not content with the idea of a two-tier system. They fear that if they aren’t up to the mark, relegation could lead to them being separated from India and Australia. They would have to compete with the lower rank teams, and that does not sit well with the board.

Despite England giving India and Australia a very good fight, they have shown vulnerability in overseas conditions. They often are also docked for home Test points due to maintaining a slow over rate. In the conditions available, they have to bowl the majority of the overs from the fast bowlers, and that often keeps them behind the rate.

A combination of such incidents can potentially lead them to drop down the rankings and create an unwanted gap. The experts and officials had also suggested that the top tier teams play five days Test matches, and the lower ranked teams play four days Test matches. This has never been a proposition that England agrees to as they strongly believe that Test matches are best when they are played over the entire five days. This opposition from ECB might delay the decision and potentially even change it.

Where does India stand in the current WTC table?

A little more than a month has passed since the completion of the WTC 2025 Final. A few teams are up and running with their 2025-2027 cycle. The way the table stands right now, Australia is leading the charts, having won all three matches they played in the West Indies. Consequently, West Indies are right at the bottom, still waiting to earn their first points of this cycle.

A chat between Jamie Smith and Shubman Gill from the England vs India series
L-R: Mohammed Siraj, Jamie Smith, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan and Abhimanyu Easwaran (via India Today)

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had a tough series. The first Test was drawn, and the second was comfortably won by Sri Lanka. With that, Sri Lanka sits second on the table and looks solid this time around. India and England had a tough five Test matches and as nothing separated them on the field, there is hardly anything that separates them on the table.

India sits in third place with 46.67 percentage points, and England is in fourth with 43.33 percentage points. England are three percentage points behind due to them being docked for the maintenance of slow over rate in the series. Teams like Pakistan, New Zealand and champions South Africa haven’t started their Test campaigns.

Them starting with their matches will certainly bring about some big changes in the table. India too has a stiff Test schedule post the Asia Cup. The Ashes series scheduled for November will also be a major five match affair and will have a great effect on the way the table shapes by the end of the year.

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