New Delhi, Jan 8 Former England captain Michael Atherton has expressed his perspective on the ongoing debate regarding the two-tier system in Test cricket and said that any proposed structure should facilitate movement between the tiers and prevent the establishment of an "entrenched elite."
Earlier it has been reported that England and Wales Cricket Board chief Richard Thompson and BCCI representatives will meet ICC Chairman Jay Shah later this month to discuss about a potential two-tier Test system starting in 2027.
If the two-tier Test structure becomes a reality, then Australia, England and India will be free from having to play Test cricket against many nations, and the three nations would be able to play against each other twice in every three years, instead of every four years, which is currently the case.
"Tiers and divisions are two different things. Divisions imply, to me at least, a chance of promotion and relegation. I’d be fine with that. But I’d be anti-tiers where there is no chance for the bottom tier to get into the top tier, and it becomes an entrenched elite," Atherton told Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
Interestingly, the concept of a two-tier system in Test cricket was proposed in an ICC Board meeting in 2016, where seven nations would compete in the first division, while the remaining five countries would compete in the second division.
Former South African captain Graeme Smith feels that Test cricket would remain a format of six or seven nations. "Test cricket, for me, is never going to be more than a six or seven-nation format. It is never going to grow to 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 teams like T20 potentially can, so I think there should be more effort made to ensure there is a bilateral programme for Test cricket.
"If you can keep six or seven nations strong, people will always watch. If a good team comes to South Africa, we see good crowds and interest in Test cricket. World cricket needs South Africa strong, needs West Indies strong, needs Sri Lanka to get better."
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