ICC to approve World Test Championship: Reports

In the current times, new T20 leagues are springing up every year in each country serving as a huge blow to the charm of Test cricket. To revive that glory, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had decided to introduce the World Test Championship.  Plans for a nine-nation Test championship are now well advanced and the council is set to give the concept a green light on Friday at a meeting in Auckland, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. 

The first edition of the competition would run over a two-year cycle beginning in 2019, culminating in a final between the top two teams at Lord’s. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive told the Herald, "You’re also creating structure in such a way that you no longer have games without meaning. They are all part of a league championship.”

There has been a growing preference amongst the players of the shorter format of the game over Test cricket, which has downtrodden the popularity of the of the game. A recent innovation designed to reverse the trend is the introduction of day-night Test matches so that they can invite more viewers. The idea of four-day Test matches has also been suggested but traditionalists have opposed it.

It said a 13-nation ODI league was being considered, which would operate on a three-year cycle with results affecting World Cup qualification. Under the proposal, nations would play three Test-match series at home and three away over the two years of the championship, while in the ODI league there are two home-and-away series each year.