BCCI against two-tier Test system says president Anurag Thakur

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur has said that the board is against International Cricket Council’s proposed two-tier Test system.Thakur stated they are opposing the proposal to protect the interests of smaller member nations. The Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket have also shown their dissent on the proposal but Cricket Australia and the New Zealand board have welcomed it.

"The BCCI is against the two-tier Test system because the smaller countries will lose out and the BCCI wants to take care of them," Thakur told the New Indian Express. "It is necessary to protect their interests."A few weeks back at the ICC’s annual conference in Edinburgh the proposal was raised. It was suggested that there will be two tiers with seven teams in the first and five, including two new Test countries in the second. ICC chief Executive David Richardson termed it as a “proper competition structure” which would also have relegation and promotion.

"Unless we can give some meaning to these series beyond the rankings and a trophy, then interest in Test cricket will continue to waver," Richardson was quoted by Espncricinfo. "The same applies if we allow uncompetitive Test cricket to take place too often." Sri Lanka Cricket were quite skeptical about the financial viability of the two-tier system and the BCB felt it would adversely affect the growth of cricket in their country.

"We believe that more we play against competitive sides, the better we will get," BCB vice-president Mahbubul Anam said. "If we didn't play against better-standard sides in ODIs, we wouldn't have come this far. We were given a reality check when we were promoted to the highest level. I feel that if we go backwards, our cricket will regress."Thakur also echoed almost the same sentiments as that of SLC and Bangladesh Cricket Board saying the smaller sides would lose out on revenue and playing alongside the top teams.

"In the two-tier system, they will lose out on a lot, including revenue and the opportunity to play against top teams," he said. "We don't want that to happen. We want to work in the best interests of world cricket and that is why our team plays against all the countries".However, Cricket Australia chairman David Peever who is in Galle presently has urged the teams to welcome the changes.

"There is no better community of people than the cricket community. But I have to say I think in terms of responsibility and the place that cricket needs to hold globally today and tomorrow," Peever said. "I do respect traditions but am conscious of not loving them at the expense of progress. Progress and tradition, in our view, need to have at least equal weighting.