ICC Propose New Test Cricket World Title

June 2013 is being lined up by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the inaugural Test World Championship. The governing bodies CEO Haroon Lorgat has revealed that the current rankings will be used to decide the four play-off spots.

There is currently no tournament in Test cricket to determine the top test nation and the form of the game has struggled to keep up with the ever popular Twenty20 version of the sport. In light of this the ICC has proposed a tournament in which the four best performing nations will contest in semi-finals before the winners meet in a fight for the world title.

Lorgat released a statement explaining the new proposal, saying: “I think the first possible opportunity for us to have a play-off is in 2013 which means that the current rankings table would need to be used

“For example, right now Australia would be struggling to qualify for the play-offs. But there may be another scenario with somebody else would also be in the frame depending on this result they might slip in.

“Going forward we’re looking at a league table that would be worked on points and for match winnings, Lorgat said, but details on how to treat draws, which occur regularly in test cricket, were yet to be decided.

“One option is whichever is the highest ranked team would progress through. There’s the possibility of the timeless test, you’ve got to get to a result”

Lorgat also confirmed the 2015 one-day international World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand will be stripped from 14 teams to 10, while the biennial Twenty20 World Cup tournament to be hosted by Sri Lanka in 2012, would be expanded from 12 to 16.