🏏 Test Cricket Is Dying Can a Two-Tier System Save It? | Cricketory Insights
The haunting sight of empty stands in Ahmedabad during India’s clash with West Indies wasn’t just another slow day of cricket — it was a warning sign. Once considered the ultimate form of the game, Test cricket is now gasping for relevance, even in traditional strongholds.
While some series like The Ashes or India vs England still fill stadiums and dominate social media trends, many others fade quietly into obscurity. So, the burning question for 2025 and beyond is: Does Test cricket need a two-tier system to survive?
Cricketory breaks it down — with data, insights, and hard truths the cricket world can’t ignore.
📉 The Silent Decline of Test Cricket Viewership
It’s no secret — Test cricket’s global audience has shrunk over the past decade.
Despite ICC’s attempts through the World Test Championship (WTC), interest remains concentrated among the “Big Three” — India, Australia, and England.
📺 In England, almost every Test is sold out.
🏟️ In India, packed stands appear only when the opponent is big enough.
🌍 In the Caribbean, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe — fans barely turn up.
The difference is stark.
In December 2024, the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia drew a record 373,000+ spectators across five days in Melbourne. But just a few weeks later, the India vs West Indies Test in Ahmedabad had empty rows of seats echoing the sound of disinterest.
👉 The reality: only a handful of teams can sustain Test cricket commercially, and the gap keeps widening.
💡 The Idea of a Two-Tier System — What Does It Mean?
A two-tier Test system would divide teams into two divisions —
- Tier 1 (Top 6 teams): Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
- Tier 2 (Emerging teams): Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe
Promotion and relegation would occur after each World Test Championship cycle, giving lower-ranked teams the chance to rise — if they perform.
In theory, it ensures competitive balance — strong teams face each other more often, and weaker ones play evenly matched rivals. But in practice, the debate is complicated.
⚖️ Why the Two-Tier Proposal Is Gaining Momentum
🏏 1. One-Sided Matches Hurt Test Cricket’s Image
Since the WTC began in 2019, the gap between the top and bottom six teams has become undeniable.
Between 2019–2024:
- Top-tier teams won 68 out of 98 Tests against the lower six.
- 20 wins came by an innings margin.
- 13 wins for the lower sides — eight of them by Pakistan alone.
That’s not competition — that’s domination.
Fans want close finishes, not three-day blowouts.
When teams like West Indies or Bangladesh fold inside 200 runs, even loyal viewers tune out.
📊 2. Top Teams Dominate the Calendar
Since the WTC’s inception:
- England: 78 Tests
- India: 63 Tests
- Australia: 57 Tests
- West Indies: 47 Tests
- Bangladesh: 40 Tests
- Afghanistan: 9 Tests
The disparity is staggering.
The “Big Three” play five-Test series regularly, while others survive on two-Test tours — sometimes even one-offs.
A two-tier model could balance scheduling and exposure, ensuring each Test actually means something in the bigger picture.
💰 3. Financial Sustainability
Let’s face it — Test cricket is expensive.
Staging a five-day game with sparse attendance drains boards with smaller budgets.
Boards like Cricket West Indies, Zimbabwe Cricket, and Bangladesh Cricket Board often rely on limited ICC funding or T20 leagues for survival.
A two-tier system, backed by ICC’s revenue-sharing structure, could bring:
- Consistent broadcast deals for both tiers
- Equal distribution of funds
- Tier-specific sponsorship opportunities
In short, it can make the format financially sustainable beyond the Big Three.
🚨 The Decline of Pakistan and West Indies — A Reality Check
No conversation about Test cricket’s decline is complete without addressing Pakistan and West Indies, once giants of the format.
🇵🇰 Pakistan’s Steep Fall
After briefly reaching the No.1 ICC Test ranking in 2016, Pakistan’s descent has been sharp:
- Since 2016: 23 wins, 35 losses, 8 draws
- In SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia): 7 wins in 37 Tests
- Last away series win: years ago.
Pakistan’s inconsistency — both on and off the field — has eroded their Test credibility. Despite flashes of brilliance from players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, structural instability has kept them from climbing back to the top tier.
🌴 West Indies — Once Mighty, Now a Memory
For older fans, the decline of West Indies cricket feels almost tragic.
A team that once produced Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, and Brian Lara now struggles to last beyond 50 overs in a day.
Post-2020:
- 14 Tests: 11 losses, 1 draw, 2 wins
- Averaging under 200 in the last 15 innings
- Recorded the second-lowest all-out total (27 vs Australia)
That shocking 0-3 home whitewash to Australia marked their first ever home series sweep in Tests of three or more matches.
While Shamar Joseph’s heroics in Brisbane brought temporary joy, it was merely a flash — not a foundation.
🧩 How the Two-Tier Model Could Reshape Test Cricket
⚙️ Structural Reform
A two-tier system could inject competitive balance into the schedule:
- Tier 1 teams battle for the WTC title.
- Tier 2 teams fight for promotion.
Every Test suddenly matters — whether it’s to avoid relegation or qualify for the elite bracket.
🌍 Global Reach
It would also make the second division more meaningful.
Instead of dull, dead-rubber series, you’d have Bangladesh vs Afghanistan or West Indies vs Zimbabwe with stakes attached.
The intensity rises, the stories multiply, and the cricket world becomes more inclusive.
💸 Commercial Expansion
Broadcasters and sponsors can back both divisions, knowing each tier has purpose and identity.
Imagine:
- “WTC Elite Division” rights with major global sponsors.
- “WTC Challenger Division” backed by regional partners.
It opens new markets and ensures continuous global visibility for Test cricket.
🤔 The Counterargument — Risks of a Split
While it sounds logical, not everyone supports the idea.
🏛️ 1. Big Three Immunity
As ECB Chairman Richard Thomson warned:
“We wouldn’t want England to fall into Division Two and miss playing Australia or India. That simply couldn’t happen.”
The Big Three generate most of cricket’s revenue. They will never risk exclusion from marquee contests.
So, if the top teams can’t be relegated, is it really a fair system?
💔 2. Divide Instead of Unite
Critics argue that a two-tier structure could alienate smaller nations.
Fans in Bangladesh or Zimbabwe might lose interest if their teams are labeled “second-class.”
Instead of creating balance, it might deepen cricket’s existing hierarchy.
🧱 3. Infrastructure and Player Development
A tier system only works if lower-tier nations have support — training facilities, funding, and consistent cricketing exposure.
Without these, Tier 2 could become a graveyard for struggling nations, not a ladder upward.
📢 Cricketory Analysis — The Real Fix Might Be Deeper
At Cricketory, our analysis suggests that while a two-tier model might stabilize competition, it doesn’t fix the core problem:
👉 Test cricket lacks context, emotion, and identity outside the Big Three.
To truly revive it:
- Equal Scheduling: ICC must mandate a minimum number of Tests for every nation per cycle.
- Revenue Redistribution: Profits from big series (like India vs England) should help fund Tier 2 boards.
- Fan Engagement: Day-night Tests, accessible streaming, and digital storytelling can modernize the Test experience.
- Player Incentives: Boost match fees and reward players for long-format excellence.
- Heritage Branding: Market Tests as the “Crown Jewel” — not the outdated format.
The solution isn’t just structure — it’s storytelling, fairness, and modernization.
🏟️ Cricketory Insights — Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow
Test cricket’s survival isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about balance — between heritage and evolution.
The ICC must act with vision: either preserve the prestige of Test cricket through reform or risk letting it fade behind franchise tournaments.
A two-tier system, done right, could be that turning point.
Done poorly, it could divide the cricketing world forever.
Either way — the next ICC decision on this will shape the soul of cricket itself.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is a two-tier system in Test cricket?
A: It’s a proposed format dividing Test-playing nations into two divisions, with promotion and relegation based on performance in each World Test Championship cycle.
Q2. Which teams would be in the top and bottom tiers?
A: Currently, Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka would form Tier 1, while Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe would make Tier 2.
Q3. Why is Test cricket losing popularity?
A: Long match durations, time-zone barriers, limited marketing, and dominance of shorter T20 formats have reduced Test cricket’s global appeal.
Q4. Can the two-tier system save Test cricket?
A: If implemented with financial equality and fair scheduling, it could revive competitiveness. But without proper support, it risks isolating weaker teams.
Q5. What’s Cricketory’s take on the future of Test cricket?
A: Cricketory believes Test cricket needs reform, not reduction. A two-tier system can help, but only if it promotes inclusivity, funding, and fan engagement.
🏁 Final Verdict — Reform or Ruin?
Test cricket remains the heart of the sport, but its heartbeat is irregular.
The two-tier system could either revive the pulse — or finish it off.
As the world debates, one thing’s certain: 2025 is a make-or-break year for Test cricket’s future.
And whatever happens next — Cricketory will be watching, analyzing, and bringing you every insight that matters.