Ian Chappell bats for Bangladesh, Zimbabwe playing Test cricket

The ICCrsquos recent announcement that they are providing a pathway to Test cricket for associate nations almost mdash I stress almost mdash made me forget the dysfunctional nature of the administrationFor a fleeting moment I shelved my concerns about lsquoThe Big Threersquo power grab and the ICCrsquos incoming president currently being barred by the Indian Supreme Court pending a corruption inquiry from holding the same position with the BCCISurely the ICCrsquos main priority is to address the flaws in Test cricket rather than add to them by introducing new teams Not that the ICC announcement actually stated there will be any additions from among the associates but they made it abundantly clear there wonrsquot be any subtractions from the current ten member nations Wouldnrsquot want to upset the balance of power in the board room voting would we Certainly not just for the sake of addressing what ails Test cricketBoyd Rankin of Ireland celebrates the wicket of Afghanistanrsquos Sadiq Karim during an ICC World Twenty20 qualifier in 2012 PicGetty ImagesThe ICCrsquos illconceived plan is to have the winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup a firstclass tournament between associate nations play the lowest ranked Test team This will be a series of five day firstclass matches held every four years starting in 2018 two at home and two awayThis might seem to be a dream come true for the stronger associate nations like Ireland but the fine print acts like a cold shower on an aroused male No full member beaten by an associate nation in one of these challenges can be relegated So if Ireland or Afghanistan or another strong associate nation was to beat Zimbabwe or Bangladesh or heaven forbid the West Indies it doesnrsquot necessarily mean they get to play Test cricketState of imbalanceThatrsquos reassuring considering Test cricket is already in a state of competitive imbalance There are four sides who rate as lsquostrongrsquo mdash South Africa India Australia and England However all four have flaws India hasnrsquot won a match of any consequence away from home recently England has dramatically slipped from strong to teetering on the brink of moderate Australia has improved but is only months removed from 40 and 30 overseas thrashings and South Africa could be in for a tough time following the retirements of stalwart all rounder Jacques Kallis and a strong leader in Graeme SmithSri Lanka ranks just outside that group but they struggle to produce quick bowlers and the spine of their batting Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene are edging ever closer to retirement Pakistan continues to produce talented young cricketers but with no games at home this will become ever harder to replicate and they already frustrate with their consistent inconsistencySmall player poolNew Zealand fight like hell under a brave captain in Brendan McCullum and they now possess a decent attack but they have such a small player pool itrsquos always a battle to match it with the superpowersThen we come to the saddest tale of all mdash the West Indies Theyrsquove been a basket case for more than a decade and cricket desperately needs them to be strong because playing well they are a big draw cardAnd Bangladesh and Zimbabwe as Test nations is a misnomer that could only be dreamt up by a body more interested in votes than victory on the fieldAssociate nations being elevated to Test level should be about them attaining a consistently high standard of play against strong opposition and developing a solid dependable production line of players It shouldnrsquot be about one of them getting lucky with a talented group of players in one four year periodThe ICC need to be wary in their assessments judging by the progress of Irelandrsquos best players Itrsquos not like the transfer to Englandrsquos colours has seen Eoin Morgan Ed Joyce or Boyd Rankin actually take Test cricket by stormLudicrous proposalAnd anyway looking to add more Test nations when you already have two who shouldnrsquot be playing and another team that needs serious help is ludicrous I donrsquot think Ireland or Afghanistan or Netherlands or any other associate nation should be playing Test cricket However neither should Bangladesh or Zimbabwe to prosper Test cricket needs to have more competitive balance not less