Just a day after the intense Border-Gavaskar Trophy ended after five intense Test matches between India and Australia which saw record crowds, it has now emerged that the longest format of the game is set for a radical change.According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, the Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC) alongside the Indian, Australian, and English cricket boards are in talks over introducing a new two-tier system in red-ball cricket.

What Will Change If Test Cricket Adopts A Two-Tier System? As per the same news report, the idea behind the new system is to allow India, Australia, and England to be freed of playing other nations and have a Test series against each twice in every three years instead of two times in four years currently.It is also reported that such a system will allow Australia's financial cycle to move faster with 'only one possible downside year' instead of two in four currently. Essentially, the system will mean India, Australia, and England are playing each other both home and away twice in three years and touring each other at least once in three years. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy hosting five Test matches from the recently concluded series, all battles between India, England, and Australia are now five-match Test series. The Ashes, Pataudi Trophy, and Anthony de Mello Trophy see five Tests per series for a considerable period of time. How Will A Two-Tier System Look Like? The concept was first proposed in 2016 but failed to get enough votes as several boards including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) voted against it. At the time, the model suggested that seven teams would play in the top division and five in the second division. Potential First division: South Africa, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Potential Second division: West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.