In order to ensure the longevity of the longer format, former India coach Ravi Shastri has advocated for the introduction of a two-tier system in Test cricket.
In order to ensure the longevity of the longer format, former India coach Ravi Shastri has advocated for the introduction of a two-tier system in Test cricket. Shastri’s remarks follow the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India, which attracted 373,691 viewers over the course of five days, making it the highest watched Test match in Australia. The previous record, set at the same location during the 1936–37 Ashes series against England, was surpassed by 350,534.”To smash crowd records that have stood for over a century… demonstrates that when the top teams compete, the toughest and best format of the game is still alive and well.
“It was also a good reminder to the ICC (International Cricket Council) that the best should play the best if Test cricket is to survive. Otherwise, there’s really too much clutter.
“This match demonstrates why we need a two-tier structure with the top 6-8 clubs, followed by promotion and demotion. “You won’t get these kinds of crowds unless you have two proper teams playing,” Shastri wrote in his column for The Australian on Wednesday.The International Cricket Council (ICC) proposed a two-tier test system in 2016. However, proposal was withdrawn during a meeting of its Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) in Dubai in September 2016.
Shastri, a part of India’s 1983 ODI World Cup-winning team, stated that the enthralling Test match in Melbourne demonstrated why Tests should be played for five days, despite repeated calls for them to be reduced to four days.”The dramatic finish on (day five) Monday demonstrated why a classic Test match requires five days. However, if a two-tier system is not implemented, unmatched teams will continue to face off, making it extremely improbable that they will be able to carry a game into the fifth day. Then there will always be talk of four-day tests.”Australia won the Boxing Day Test by 184 runs and now leads the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 2-1 ahead of the fifth and final Test, which begins on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
