The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to expand the World Test Championship (WTC) to 12 teams from the next cycle.
This decision was made following meetings in Dubai, where a working group led by Roger Twose pushed for it.
Previously, only nine full members played, but now teams like Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe will also be included. This change is intended to strengthen Test cricket and provide opportunities to more countries.
According to a report, “It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket. Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities, and there is an incentive for other teams to play them,”
This was stated by a board director. This means that every full member will now have a full chance to play Test matches, and other teams will also compete with them for incentives.
In the first three cycles, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa won the title, while India finished runner-up twice. This expansion will make the Test format more exciting.
Why was the two-tier model rejected?
Now let’s talk about the controversial two-tier proposal, which the ICC rejected outright. Some rumors had it that top teams like India, Australia, and South Africa would be in Tier 1, while teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies would be in Tier 2.
It also included a promotion-relegation system. However, this idea was rejected due to lack of support. The West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan opposed it.
There were also doubts about the funding model, such as whether India, England, and Australia would provide financial support to Tier 2.
The report states, “It had been mooted that India, England, and Australia could support those in division two through a financial distribution, but those talks did not go far.” Cricket Australia was ready, but the ECB strongly opposed it.
There is also good news about the ODI Super League; it is returning from 2028 to boost the 50-over format.
One administrator said, “The Super League could help revitalize the 50-over format. Maybe the problem isn’t that the format is necessarily dead, it’s finding the proper structure.”
Furthermore, the number of teams in the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup will not increase: 14 teams in the 2027 ODI World Cup and 20 in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The ICC aims to expand the T20 World Cup to 32 teams. However, T10 will not receive official format status.
