Following the West Indies’ latest mauling in Australia and the growing gap between the top Test playing nations and the likes of Bangladesh, Windies and Zimbabwe, we look at whether the time has come for the ICC to introduce a relegation system.
With the likes of UAE, Ireland, Afghanistan & co all hoping to one day gain Test status, should their progress be a bit more rushed?
Use #360debate to have your say on today’s topic.
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AJIT VIJAYKUMAR – YES
Assistant news editor
It’s the same old story.
West Indies were thrashed by Australia in the Hobart Test. It was another round of disappointing Test cricket involving the Windies.
Unsurprisingly, it has reignited the debate about the competitiveness of teams like the West Indies and Zimbabwe and whether it’s time to look at shaking things up.
There is no doubt the performances of the bottom two (or three if you include Bangladesh) Test teams have been stagnating for some time. We have been waiting for a long time to see any mark of improvement but it hasn’t materialised.
For the sake of the quality of Test cricket, it’s time to introduce a relegation system so that not only are the bottom-placed teams forced to improve their game, some top Associate teams like Ireland and Afghanistan also get the incentive to play five-day games.
Its time now for two tier Test cricket with relegation and promotion, anybody listening?
— Chandresh Narayanan (@chand2579) December 12, 2015
What can be done is have a four-year cycle after which the last two teams in the ICC Test rankings and the top two Associate teams from the Intercontinental Cup fight it out for a chance to play Test cricket for the next four years.
I have no doubt that an Ireland or Afghanistan can put up as good or better a fight than the West Indies; definitely more than Zimbabwe. That will ensure a new level of excitement in Test cricket.
Anyhow, the top Associate teams are desperate to get a taste of top level games, be it ODIs or Tests in the future. They will surely bring in a fresh dose of energy.
Times are changing and Test cricket is not safe from it either. The advent of day/night Tests has shown the way forward and it is important to keep the fans engaged, while keeping up with the traditions of the game.
What the relegation system will also do is bring in a whole new set of fans to Test cricket and that can only help the game move forward.
While it is true no team wants to lose its Test status, sides like the West Indies and Zimbabwe have fallen too far for their own good. If they can’t raise their game on their own, probably the fear of relegation can get things in motion.
Things can only improve.
Happy for the Aussies to win emphatically, but saddened to watch how far the West Indies have fallen, world cricket needs a strong WI team !
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) December 12, 2015
JAIDEEP MARAR – NO
Assistant editor
The quality of Test teams West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who are ranked eighth, ninth and tenth in the International Cricket Council’s rankings is indeed a concern and there is not much that is being done to elevate their status.
The relegation system is worth looking at but an inherent flaw in the current Test hierarchy that only rewards the ‘rich and elite’, makes it unviable.
Besides, the ICC can only do as much as the affluent members wish and they currently do not bother about the minnows. It is all evident in the number of Tests that the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have played against Australia, England and India.
Out of their 93 Tests Bangladesh have played just four against Australia and eight each against India and England. It is a similar story with Zimbabwe who have lined up against Australia in three matches and in six games against England in their 97-Test history.
All of it has a cascading effect on the number of Tests they play each year. While Bangladesh have played 32 Tests in the last five years, Zimbabwe have featured in just 14 in the same period.
West Indies is crying out loud for a two-tier system in Test cricket…No contest is the biggest bane of Test cricket!
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 11, 2015
The West Indies are relatively better off with 49 games but it is their lowest in a five-year period, clearly coinciding with their decline. Interstingly, between 2010 and 2015, England have played 72, Australia 67 and India 62 Tests.
It is also about the monetary aspect. An England v Bangladesh game will definitely not have the same impact at all levels as an Ashes Test.
The onus is on their respective boards as well to improve the quality of Test teams. The West Indies Cricket Board have done little in that aspect while Zimbabwe battle with internal strife. Bangladesh have fared better on that count but the results are yet to be seen in the Tests.
The relegation system can only work if all teams get an equal opportunity to play against each other. In the current set-up, it is highly unlikely because those coming in will only be competing with the bottom three as they would not get enough games against the top-level teams.
The relegation battle will always be confined to the same teams and will do little to improve their quality.
