Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to reports of two-tier system for Test cricket ft. Ravi Shastri

The purest format of the game - Test cricket is exploring the possibility of a radical change in the future.

The Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC) alongside the Indian, English, and Australian cricket boards are in talks over introducing a new two-tier system in Tests, according to a report in Sydney Morning Herald via Times Now. The possibility has emerged after the successful completion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

According to the new idea floated, India, England, and Australia will only play against each other and won't participate in Tests against other nations. Instead, they will play against each other twice every three years instead of two times in four years currently.

The idea was first coined in 2016 when it was rejected vehemently. It was reported that seven teams would be part of the top division and five in the second division at the time. The Board of Control for Cricket in India led the backlash, saying that the smaller countries would lose out in the process.

The idea of the two-tier Test system has earned a fair bit of reaction from former cricketers. On that note, we look at five such reactions.

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#1 Clive Lloyd

West Indies legend Clive Lloyd rejected the idea at the outset. He believes it would be unjust for teams like the West Indies who work tirelessly to play red-ball cricket.

“I think it will be terrible for all those countries who work so hard to get to Test match status and now they’ll be playing among themselves in the lower section,” Lloyd was quoted saying in the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian via Indian Express.

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#2 Ravi Shastri

Former head coach Ravi Shastri, who was at the helm of Indian cricket when the BCCI first proposed the idea, has backed the two-tier Test system. He said that the new system is needed for Test cricket to survive.

“It [the MCG Test] was also a sound reminder to the ICC that the best should play the best for Test cricket to survive. I will say that there’s too much of a clutter otherwise,” Ravi Shastri said via Indian Express.

“This match further emphasizes why we need a two-tier system with the top 6-8 teams and then include promotion and demotion. You will not get these kinds of crowds if you don’t have two proper teams playing,” he added.

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#3 Arjuna Ranatunga

Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga has slammed the idea of proposed restructuring in red-ball cricket. He stated that the administrators should nurture the sport instead of just thinking about economics.

“I understand the economics. Such a move will certainly line the pockets of the three boards, but sport isn’t just about Pounds, Dollars, and Rupees. Administrators must nurture and protect the game, not just fatten their coffers," Ranatunga told Telecom Asia Sport via News18.

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#4 Michael Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has thrown his weight behind the proposed idea. He argued that the best teams should do as much as possible to keep Test cricket relevant.

“I have been saying for a long time this is the way to keep Test cricket relevant by ensuring the best play the best as often as possible, and we get fewer mismatches,” Vaughan wrote on The Telegraph UK via Fox Sports.

“I want to give fans, whether watching in the ground or on TV, what they want. After a pretty drab couple of summers in Australia and the same in England last summer, the viewing figures and attendances were through the roof during the past few weeks," he added.

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#5 Mark Taylor

Former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor also voted in favor of the introduction of the two-tier Test system. He also pointed out how many matches Australia have played against teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in recent times.

Taylor told Wide World of Sports:

"That's something that's been discussed for a number of years, that very topic, and I'm certainly not against it. In a way that's almost what we've got now."

"If you look at the World Test Championship [WTC] final you've got Australia taking on South Africa, and the way they've got there is by Australia winning this battle against India and England, and South Africa have won the battle against a lot of the other nations. So in a way, South Africa have been the winner of one side of the draw and Australia have been the winner of the other side of the draw."

"I'm sure it wasn't planned that way, but in a way that's what's happened ... If that's the way it's going to be, I'm for the idea, provided all the larger Test nations do the most they can to continue to develop the lesser financially backed nations."

"How many Test matches have we played against Bangladesh in the last six years? ... I can't recall when we last played Zimbabwe ... It [introducing a two-tier system] is almost formalising what's happening now," Taylor added.