- Plans are being drawn up to split the World Test Championship into two tiers
- The changes are set to be discussed by Australia, India, England and the ICC
Sir Clive Lloyd fears that radical plans to make Test cricket a two-tier system will plunge one of world sport’s most iconic teams into oblivion.
Under the proposals to split the international game’s 12 full member nations in two — to be discussed by ICC chairman Jay Shah and representatives from Australia, India and England later this month — West Indies would be celebrating their 100th anniversary as a Test team in 2028 as second-class citizens.
First reported by Australian newspaper The Age, consideration is being given to revamping the nine-team World Test Championship into one of two divisions — a 7-5 reworking has been mooted — starting in the summer of 2027.
Legendary former West Indies captain Lloyd believes such a move would mean disbanding an international sporting anomaly — the Windies team is selected from 15 Caribbean countries, and any drop in revenues may encourage the bigger islands to go it alone.
‘You can imagine them talking about dismantling the West Indies teams and playing as their own (islands),’ he said.
Lloyd, 80, captained West Indies when they went 27 Test matches unbeaten in the 1980s, culminating in a then record winning streak of 11 in 1984 — six victories against Australia sandwiching five versus England.
Sir Clive Lloyd slammed plans to revamp the World Test Championship into a two-tier system
Lloyd claimed the controversial plans could plunge the West Indies cricket team into oblivion
The plans are set to be discussed by India, Australia, England and the ICC later this month
But they are now languishing eighth in the Test rankings and are bottom of the WTC.
‘We were the cash cows for a lot of people over the years,’ Lloyd said. ‘We worked hard for what we achieved, and only had 5million people. India have got a billion and a quarter. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, they all have more people but look at what we achieved.
‘We have a great history, and now you’re going to tell us, because of a monetary situation, this is how it’s going to be.’
This is not the first time a two-tier Test system has been proposed, but the ‘big three’ of England, Australia and India are now keen to maximise television revenue.
Last month’s Boxing Day Test between Australia and India attracted a record aggregate attendance of 373,000-plus.
Playing each other twice every three years instead of twice every four from 2027, when the next cycle of rights begins, would result in revenue spikes from gate receipts, TV and sponsorship. But it would leave the Windies and the other have-nots playing loss-making fixtures.
‘We wouldn’t be able to produce the type of cricket we have produced over the years,’ Lloyd said. ‘You can only improve against better opposition. The better system would be to give all teams the same amount of money so they can improve.’
Under cricket’s current model, those that bring in most money take the biggest annual share: India’s £184million equating to 40 per cent, with England next best at £33m.
‘When we were in the ascendancy, we didn’t get any more money,’ added Lloyd. ‘Something must be done to help our cricket and the other nations.’
