LISA STHALEKAR: Creating Test relegation system could backfire on Australia, India and England

Sometimes less is more and while the Australia-India series has skyrocketed Test cricket back to the rock star status it enjoyed a generation ago, calls for the top teams to play each other more often might just kill the golden goose.

With record crowds, online clicks, and TV ratings - fuelled by the Shakespearean-style drama that played out over the last two months - there is a push to follow the lead of professional football and create a two-tier Test playing system worldwide.

The major cricketing powers - India, Australia, and England - are set to discuss with ICC Chair Jay Shay the idea of splitting Test cricket into two divisions by 2028.

This isn’t the first time this idea has landed on the ICC’s desk. In 2016, then CEO of Cricket Australia James Sutherland was a big advocate for the move supported by his counterparts from England, Pakistan, and South Africa.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India sided with the smaller countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, who had fought hard to gain full member status at an ICC level, to block the move.

The other reason why the BCCI rejected this idea is that the smaller countries would lose out financially when the ICC’s primary role is to grow the game.

Fast forward nine years and those arguments are still valid now, likely more so with Afghanistan and Ireland also playing Test cricket.

From my perspective, two divisions absolutely have merit while understanding the finances of the game are extremely significant to ensure sustainability with the growth in T20 leagues evidence of the search for a quick buck.

If the Aussies have their way, allowing them to play India and England more often, there will need to be a promotion and relegation system.

With 12 Test playing nations, you would assume it would be split down the middle, six and six. However, early reports have split the first division into seven teams (Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka) then five for the second division (Ireland, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Bangladesh and Afghanistan).

Also, if England, for instance, who finished sixth in the Test Championships this year had to be relegated, would that happen? I highly doubt that would fly if it would affect the Ashes.

But the big nations would have to live and die by the new system like the aspiring ones if they suffered a bad run of losses.

Whilst the concept has merit, there are three key issues that need to be considered.

Firstly, from a high-performance perspective, how are the smaller nations meant to get better if they are not going to be playing the best of the best?

If you were to look at when teams first entered the Test arena, it took them a while to win their first game, let alone a series.

India, the modern-day powerhouse of cricket, played its first Test in 1932. It took them close to 20 years to win their first Test match. For New Zealand, it was slightly longer, having to wait close to 40 years before they won their first series.

If a two-tier division was in place back then, would India have risen to where it is now and would the Kiwis have won the very first Test Championship in 2021?

Secondly, the finances of the smaller countries would be at risk. CA’s budgets work on a four-year cycle, with two of the four years running at a loss. It is only when England and India land on our shores that CA fills their coffers.

Based on the theoretical structure posed, some of those countries won’t have India, England, or Australia to play against, meaning the best players in the world would not draw crowds for them.

The top nations would need to subsidise the weaker ones for this new system to work.

Finally, would Australia playing England and India actually be a good thing? The long build-ups towards both series home and away are what make them so hotly anticipated.

When CA extended the BBL season in 2018-19 to cash in on its success, it backfired badly before they reduced the season by nearly 20 games this summer.

The BBL suffered poor crowd numbers and the extended season made it harder to attract big-name international players for the duration of the competition.

Cricket fans may back the idea but should be careful what they wish for as Test cricket is enjoying renewed popularity and messing with the secret sauce might just leave us with sour taste if it does produce what is listed on the menu.