ICC keen on baseball like conference system for Test cricket

After failing to push the envelope on the two-tier Test system, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken yet another step into ensuring Test cricket for all when they proposed a baseball-like conference system. While the two-tier system would ensure that even the associate members would be given a run in the Test match level, the system was rejected by the respective boards of Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh.

The Major League Baseball tournament in the United States of America sees the teams that have been split into two conferences namely the Eastern and the Western conference. The top few teams would enter playoffs round prior to the last two teams that would enter the finals aka the World Series.

Should this be implemented in cricket, it would see all 12 Test playing nations play each other once in every six years. This would definitely go on to promote homogeneity in the system. However, there could be question marks surrounding marquee series such as Ashes and Border-Gavaskar trophy.

“While they’re an icon (sic) and big series, it’s just not quite the same. There’s also a feeling we’re playing enough cricket. We don’t want to play more cricket”, ESPNCricinfo quoted a source privy to the meetings.

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However, when it comes to the ratings and the points, it would be difficult to organize the marquee fixtures such as The Ashes and the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Moreover, since these marquee fixtures enter anywhere between four and five matches, it makes it all the more difficult for the organizers and the ICC themselves.

“If there are 30 points available for a series and you play a five-match series, you might get six points a match, and if it is a two-match series it might be 15 points a match. That sort of thing needs to be further explored.”

Apart from this, there is also talk of cricket making it into the roster as an Olympics sport in the near future. However, this will be pending a meeting between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the BCCI.

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