Reports: BCCI, ECB and CA urge ICC to scrap World Test Championship

The introduction of the World Test Championship received a positive response from all the nations. Even as the things were getting interesting in terms of points ahead of the final scheduled to be played next year, the Coronavirus pandemic spoiled the fun. The Test series between England and Sri Lanka was suspended while the second pending Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh was also postponed.

The packed cricketing calendar has been disturbed and even the future Test series are under threat now with no clarity over when the normalcy will return. In the wake of all uncertainties, the big three of international cricket, BCCI, ECB and the Cricket Australia (CA), has requested the ICC to scrap the Test Championship and revise the Future Tour Program as well.

“This is an ongoing discussion right now. There’s absolutely no leadership coming out of the ICC whatsoever,” a leading administrator told the Times of India on Thursday.

ICC not in the mood to stop the Test Championship

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that the ICC is in no mood at the moment to scrap the Test Championship at all. It is seriously contemplating to go ahead with the tournament considering the fact that the newly introduced ICC event, if scrapped, will decline the popularity of the longest format even further.

“They (ICC) are consulting with members on understanding their priorities over the coming months. These are very early stages and a meeting will be held at the end of the month. With regard to the FTP it will have to be revisited as members start to understand what can be rescheduled and what can’t,” the sources in the know of developments said.

Moreover, the ICC is also thinking to organise more world events during the 2023-2031 cycle which has been opposed by the major cricketing nations. More ICC events will eat up the window for the bilateral series and the boards which are sitting on the healthy media rights deal are likely to oppose this idea.

“What the ICC is trying to do is propose and schedule more official tournaments, which will do nothing but eat into the bilateral windows of its own member boards. No member board that is potentially sitting on a healthy media rights deal will agree to this,” the sources further added.