Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has indicated that the World Test Championship (WTC) could expand from nine to 12 teams in the coming years.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) member boards are nearing finalisation of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), with discussions about broadening the WTC occurring alongside this process.
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Since its inception in 2019, the WTC has featured nine teams contesting six series over a two-year cycle, each consisting of at least two Test matches. Under the proposed 2029-2031 model, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan—who typically play one-off or two-match Test series—may be included in the championship. A final decision is expected at the ICC meetings in Bali next month
Addressing the possibility of a 12-team WTC, Greenberg
Addressing the possibility of a 12-team WTC, Greenberg said, “I think that’s what will happen for the next two years.” However, he also noted financial and sustainability challenges faced by some cricket boards, which could hinder their ability to allocate more re
“But, ultimately, countries are going to have to make hard decisions themselves because if revenues do not continue to come in from the ICC at the levels that we have enjoyed, or they can’t generate their own FTP arrangements, then ultimately any business, ours is the same, you cannot continue to distribute more than you earn every year. That is where global cricket finds itself in some parts,” he added.
Greenberg further cautioned that the number of Test-playing nations could decline, due to the high costs involved and players’ willingness to participate in the format.
It was not very popular when I said
“It was not very popular when I said that [about Test cricket], but I still say it is a statement of fact that over time it is getting more and more difficult for countries to play Test cricket because it is so expensive. When I say it’s expensive, don’t take that comment as being [about] putting on Test matches. It is the ability to invest in your system to create a structure for red-ball cricketers. You cannot just magically find 11 players to play Test cricket,” he explained.
“I think there is a world where there will be member nations who do not play Test cricket, or they might have to play more away Test cricket than they do at home in order to keep Test cricket in their country [alive] and keep playing that format. I think we have got to think about it differently. This whole reciprocal nature is potentially sending some countries broke,” Greenberg added, referring to the challenges of bilateral Test cricket.
Regarding One Day Internationals (ODIs), the ICC Dubai workshop held last week discussed organising additional multi-nation tournaments to revitalise the 50-over format. One proposal includes an Intercontinental competition involving leading continental teams.
On the relationship between ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals
On the relationship between ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), Greenberg observed that the latter’s growing prominence in the 2020s may lead to fluctuations in the number of ODIs played throughout a World Cup cycle.
“There might be a cycle of four years where we play slightly less ODIs, more coming into a World Cup cycle and maybe less in the outer years. I do not think it stops in the outer years, though. It might be a sort of up-and-down system between T20 and ODI cricket,” he said.
Greenberg emphasised the role of ODIs in player development and their commercial significance for global cricket. “Everyone in high performance tells me how important ODI cricket is to the formation of players in the talent pathway. And everyone at the ICC level tells me how fundamentally important the ODI World Cup is to the commercial outcomes of global cricket. Those things are really important. If you anchor those two principles, then you’ve just got to find ways to make those games meaningful,” he concluded.
Source: thenewsmill.com
