The ICC will discuss changes to the structure of Test cricket in Edinburgh from Monday.

There has been a growing concern that Test cricket is losing some of its vogue when compared to the shorter formats. And earlier this month ICC CEO Dave Richardson spoke of the need to make Test cricket more attractive to the fans. Some of the world’s best players have in recent times chosen to forgo their Test careers to play in T20 leagues, and the drop in viewership is something cricket’s governing body have put as top priority at the week long meeting.

‘We are looking at competition structures across all three formats (Tests, ODIs and Twenty20),’ ICC chief executive Dave Richardson told AFP at the launch of the 2017 Champions Trophy earlier this month.

‘We want to find ways of playing slightly less cricket but more meaningful cricket.’

The proposed changes would see a creation of two Test divisions.  Division One would consist of seven teams, and five, including two new Test nations, in Division Two. They would play in a league system where there would be promotion and relegation. Each team in the top tier would play every other side home or away in a two-year cycle.

The matches and series would each be given a set number of points — the exact figures are still to be decided — to determine the standings. At the end of the cycle, the bottom team would be relegated, with the team on top the new world Test champions. The changes would offer Associate nations with the opportunity to play Test cricket against Full-member nations.

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