• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

The International Cricket Council is planning to extend the men's T20 World Cup to 32 teams during its AGM, which is currently being held in Singapore. As per a Forbes report, a six-man group under the guidance of New Zealand's Twose would be discussing a few important decisions.

There were 20 teams that participated in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which was won by the Rohit Sharma-led side. The same number of teams would be seen in action during the 2026 T20 World Cup. But the ICC was impressed by Italy's recent qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup and has opined that cricket has gone beyond its traditional centers.

At the same time, according to the report, no more than 12 teams would be participating in the ODI World Cup. The ICC is also considering the notion of dividing Test cricket into two parts, like promotion and relegation, similar to the football leagues that are being held across the world.

ALSO Read- BAN vs PAK T20 Series Live Streaming: When And Where To Watch Bangladesh vs Pakistan Live In Your Country

This idea does look far-fetched, but speculations are rife that a two-tier system began last year, and it immediately became debatable.

Opinion split on division-based Tests

Ravi Shastri reckoned that this would help Test cricket a lot, but other former cricketers like Michael Atherton and Clive Lloyd are quite doubtful. According to this, teams like India, Australia, and England would constitute the first division, would be playing more matches as compared to what they play now, and the teams in the second division would be competing against each other to qualify for the first division.

“I’ve always believed that if you want Test cricket to survive and thrive, this is the way to go. The top teams should play each other more often, creating a contest," Shastri was quoted as saying on Sen radio.

“I think it will be terrible for all those countries who worked so hard to achieve Test status. Now they’ll be relegated to playing among themselves in the lower section. How will they reach the top? (Only) by playing against better teams," Lloyd told reporters.

Holding had written in a column for the Telegraph and said, “If there is no promotion and relegation, the top division will just keep on making all the money. The bottom division will get poorer, and teams will disappear. Maybe that is what they want. I get the impression that a lot of these countries that have a lot of money and take all the money out of the game want to continue and perhaps make it worse.