Published: Aug 03, 2016, 02:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 03, 2016, 03:00 PM (IST)
Anurag Thakur, President of Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), has spoken out against the ‘two-tier’ Test system, saying neither he nor his board supports the proposed idea. Stating “a need to protect smaller nation’s interests”, Thakur takes on the proposed idea of ICC, whose chairman is former BCCI President Shashank Manohar. Cricket’s governing body in its annual conference in June proposed an idea of ‘two-tier’ Test system to make the format more interesting and appealing. But their idea saw public disapproval from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). ALSO READ: Bangladesh gets BCCI’s backing on opposition to two-tier Test format
Speaking about the stance taken by BCCI, Thakur was quoted by New Indian Express as saying, “The BCCI is against the two-tier Test system because the smaller countries will lose out and the BCCI wants to take care of them. It is necessary to protect their interests.”
The idea of ‘two-tier’ Test system now sees divided opinions. BCCI, along with BCB and SLC are against the idea, whereas Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have publicly stated their desire to follow the idea, stating it help the oldest format of the game to survive.
The idea behind making Test a two-tier division was to make the format interesting. The Top 7 teams will play each other in the top bracket whereas the teams ranked 8 to 12 will play in the other bracket. Teams that perform well in the second bracket can get promotion at the expense of a team performing poorly in the first bracket.
Bangladesh fear should this system be employed, broadcasters and sponsors won’t be much interested, which will result in a fall of revenue generation. This system has been backed by Australia, with its chief executive James Sutherland suggesting it as the need of the hour.
