Richard Thompson, chairman of the Criket Council in England and Wales (ECB), expressed his opposition to the proposed two -stage structure in the test cricket and expressed concern that the descent could prevent England from regularly competing against top parties such as India and Australia. The International Criket Council (ICC) is expected to soon decide whether to accept a two -stage format for the World Test Championship (WTC).
Long -term England with Australia remains one of the most famous cricket competitions and the recent series Ashes has brought considerable financial revenues for both nations. Ashes 2023, hosted in England, attracted some of the largest crowds in a recent memory, with undressing in the field depicting the imagination of fans.
Recently, England played India’s host in a thrilling series of five tests for Anderson-Dendulkar Trophy. Everything five matches got full distance, with the last test in the oval of day 5. Despite the absence of Marquee Indian players, such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, was a series of commercial and broadcast success, with stadiums wrapped and young Indian sites led by SHUBMAN GILL It fights bravely to draw a series of 2-2.
“There are many options we have to look at – levels would be one of them,” said Richard Thompson BBC test Match Special.
“We wouldn’t want, because England, if we go through the eel, we fall into the second division division and play Australia or India. That just couldn’t happen. It is necessary to win common sense.”
Instead, Thompson urged to improve the planning of bilateral test series to increase the competitive balance and the overall WTC structure, suggesting that the two -stage model may not be an optimal solution.
“The reality is that if the World Championship is improving and some changes are made, you may not need two levels of test cricket. What is necessary is a schedule that makes more sense than the current one.
“So what happens in 2028 when we have the Olympics and is expected that our best eleven crickets will be in Los Angeles for two weeks in mid -July? This will create serious complications.”
To date, nine teams have appeared in the first three WTC cycles. If the two -stage system is approved, the WTC will expand to 12 teams divided into two groups of six.
While the WTC brought other importance to the bilateral series, many of them were concerned about the uneven distribution of accessories, especially the dominance of the so -called “big three” – England, India and Australia – who play the lion’s share of high -ranking matches.
In July 2025, ICC created an eight -member working group to assess the feasibility Introduction of two -stage WTC. The Committee is headed by the newly appointed CEO of ICC Sanjog Gupta and was created during the annual General Meeting of the ICC in Singapore, chaired by Jay Shah chairman. The panel also includes the CEO of ECB Richard Gould and CEO of the Ctel Austriel Todd Greenberg.
Australia for?
Greenberg recently said it was open to this idea – but only if he added meaningful development to a global test cricket.
“My open mind refers to whether it helps to grow opportunities for other nations to become stronger and better secured in the cricket of the test match. If it achieves it, then I am open to it,” Greenberg said on Wednesday 6th August Radio.
“But if he doesn’t do it and instead has the opposite effect, then I wouldn’t support it.”
Any changes in WTC format would only come into force for cycle 2027-2029. The 2025-2027 cycle has already begun and the bilateral series has agreed as part of the current Future Tours ICC program. However, ICC is expected to immediately decide, and the media rights to the 2027-2031 cycle will be scheduled for sale next year.
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Published:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
August 7, 2025
