What is the two-tier Test format? New structure expected ahead of India’s England tour

When Australia face South Africa in the World Test Championship final it will mark the end of the current format which is set to be relaunched as a twotier system ahead of Indias tour of England later this summerIn a bid to create a fairer competition England and Wales Cricket Board ECB chairman Richard Thompson who is the head of the ICCs strategic growth committee recently held talks with the apex bodys chairman Jay Shah and the two will lead the planWith just five months left for the next cycle to start with England hosting India at Headingly from June 20 Thompson acknowledged the urgency of the matterIt is fully understood that the current structure does not work in the way it should and we need to find a fairer better competition but at this stage no recommendations have been put forward Thompson told Telegraph SportWe have five months to work on this step back and look at what the structure should be going forward The World Test Championship should be fairer and more competitive It is going to change to ensure it always encourages the best teams to reach the final and encourages other nations that want to play Test cricket to play Test cricketWe will protect grow and ensure the integrity of Test cricket because the format is crucial to the DNA of the gameThe current model has drawn criticism for its inconsistenciesTeams do not play every other nation within the twoyear cycle and an excess of twoTest series has skewed standingsPolitical constraints mean India and Pakistan do not face each other impacting the integrity of the competitionSimilarly South Africa reached the final without playing Australia though they will meet in the title clash at Lords in JuneDiscussions will also explore the possibility of fourday Tests as this could help boards schedule threeTest series around franchise leagues the report has saidNotably no threeTest series involving teams outside the big three of England India and Australia has taken place since 2019However the fourday Tests wont be there for marquee series such as the Ashes or matches between tierone nationsThe push for a twotier system gained traction following Australias blockbuster series against India which set attendance recordsThe proposed model would see the toptier nations play each other more frequently potentially sidelining other teams and series which has evoked negative responses from the legends of the gameWest Indies great Clive Lloyd has been a strong critic of the system saying it would be disastrous for smaller teamsAll these countries have worked very hard to get there We have been in ICC for nearly 100 years Weve a great history and now youre going to tell us because of a monetary situation this is how its going to be Llyod had saidSri Lankas World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga has also criticised the move saying it would only benefit the three boardsSport isnt just about Pounds Dollars and Rupees Administrators must nurture and protect the gameBangladesh batter Mominul Haque and Englands former pacer Steven Finn have also criticised the moveWith agency inputs