The suggestion of a two-tier structure in the longest format, which has apparently been discussed among countries like India, Australia, and England along with Jay Shah, has drawn criticism from former South African cricketer Graeme Smith. Smith highlighted the significance of having evenly distributed Test matches and underlined that no sport is limited to just the top three teams.

The ICC intends to implement a two-tier system, according to the Australian newspaper The Age. Teams from the West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe would be in the second tier, while teams from India, Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and New Zealand would be in the top tier. However, it is unclear from the paper whether this strategy would include relegation and promotion, which would take place after the conclusion of the 2027 Future Tours Programme (FTP).

The ‘Big Three’ are playing in the longest format more often than other teams, which is why the longest format is changing. Teams like South Africa, New Zealand, and the West Indies have had difficulty selecting their top players for Test cricket as a result of the rise in popularity of franchise-based T20 tournaments.

I have sympathy for the ICC as well. A comment regarding how often England, India, Australia, and vice versa would be playing each other during the next time caught my attention this morning. It becomes quite difficult for the other countries. India is perhaps the finest as they are so dependable in the marketplace for other countries. However, where can you see the top three countries always playing against one another? Smith told Sky Cricket, “You can only imagine how that’s been tied up in the background in the next FTP cycle.”

How does the ICC design a framework that the top three consider equitable? World cricket, in my opinion, requires Sri Lanka to become better, the West Indies to get stronger, and South Africa to get stronger. If not, do you see a future in which cricket is played by only three countries?” he continued.

Do what has to be done: Smith

Former cricket players like Michael Vaughan and Ravi Shastri have expressed support for this idea, arguing that more competitive competitions are necessary for the longest format to succeed. Record audiences attended the just-finished Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between Australia and India, which was a significant accomplishment for this format.

Test cricket should be the first priority for everyone, according to an ex-Protea captain who was instrumental in South Africa’s supremacy in the longest format during the previous ten years. He also used the success of the Temba Bavuma-led team throughout the current round as an example.

“I would say that we [South Africa] have a chance to win the mace because we are in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.” The answer, in my opinion, is to do what has to be done, and South Africa has done just that. “If you go and look over some time, I think their win percentages over the last couple of years are pretty decent,” he said.

The Proteas were the best team in the 2023–25 points table and are making their first appearance in a WTC final. Later this year, they will face Australia in the summit match at Lord’s.