cricket

The debate over a two-tiered Test cricket structure has reignited following the West Indies’ dramatic second-innings collapse for just 27 runs in the third Test against Australia at Sabina Park on Monday.

The proposed format, which could be introduced after the current Future Tours Programme concludes in 2027, would divide Test-playing nations into two tiers. Tier One would consist of India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, while Tier Two would include the West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Zimbabwe — with promotion and relegation based on performance.

The conversation has once again taken center stage in global cricket discourse. During a recent broadcast, TalkSport Cricket host Neil Manthorp and cricket analyst and broadcaster Machel St. Patrick Hewitt shared their views on the implications of such a system.

Hewitt acknowledged that the idea of a two-tier format is “gaining credibility,” particularly in light of the West Indies’ ongoing struggles in the longest format of the game.

“This will again raise those serious question marks about should there be tiered international cricket,” Hewitt said. “We can’t get away from the question. I know that there’s tradition and West Indies should be playing the likes of Australia, but when the disparity is so huge, it again brings into sharp focus — do West Indies gain more by playing Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh? Do they gain more from competitive series against them versus these kind of huge gaps in quality against Australia?”

Manthorp, however, warned that relegating teams like the West Indies to a lower division would be detrimental to the future of Test cricket in those regions.

“It’s death row if you put countries like the West Indies into Division Two,” he argued. “They’ll never take the step back up to Division One. You have to play against the best — and if that means bruising, embarrassing defeats, then at least you know in real time, in real life, what you have to do and where you need to be.

“At least the West Indies are taking wickets. I know there have been some dodgy pitches, but it would be worse if they were conceding 600 and not taking wickets and not scoring runs. I do think that if you create a Division Two, that’s what it will stay as — there’ll be no way back. And I don’t think Test cricket will be sustainable in regions like the West Indies.”

West Indies will face Australia in a five-match T20I series, which bowls off on Sunday, before their next Test assignment away to India

The debate over a two-tiered Test cricket structure has reignited following the West Indies’ dramatic second-innings collapse for just 27 runs in the third Test against Australia at Sabina Park on Monday.

The proposed format, which could be introduced after the current Future Tours Programme concludes in 2027, would divide Test-playing nations into two tiers. Tier One would consist of India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, while Tier Two would include the West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Zimbabwe — with promotion and relegation based on performance.

The conversation has once again taken center stage in global cricket discourse. During a recent broadcast, TalkSport Cricket host Neil Manthorp and cricket analyst and broadcaster Machel St. Patrick Hewitt shared their views on the implications of such a system.

Hewitt acknowledged that the idea of a two-tier format is “gaining credibility,” particularly in light of the West Indies’ ongoing struggles in the longest format of the game.

“This will again raise those serious question marks about should there be tiered international cricket,” Hewitt said. “We can’t get away from the question. I know that there’s tradition and West Indies should be playing the likes of Australia, but when the disparity is so huge, it again brings into sharp focus — do West Indies gain more by playing Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh? Do they gain more from competitive series against them versus these kind of huge gaps in quality against Australia?”

Manthorp, however, warned that relegating teams like the West Indies to a lower division would be detrimental to the future of Test cricket in those regions.

“It’s death row if you put countries like the West Indies into Division Two,” he argued. “They’ll never take the step back up to Division One. You have to play against the best — and if that means bruising, embarrassing defeats, then at least you know in real time, in real life, what you have to do and where you need to be.

“At least the West Indies are taking wickets. I know there have been some dodgy pitches, but it would be worse if they were conceding 600 and not taking wickets and not scoring runs. I do think that if you create a Division Two, that’s what it will stay as — there’ll be no way back. And I don’t think Test cricket will be sustainable in regions like the West Indies.”

West Indies will face Australia in a five-match T20I series, which bowls off on Sunday, before their next Test assignment away to India

The debate over a two-tiered Test cricket structure has reignited following the West Indies’ dramatic second-innings collapse for just 27 runs in the third Test against Australia at Sabina Park on Monday.

The proposed format, which could be introduced after the current Future Tours Programme concludes in 2027, would divide Test-playing nations into two tiers. Tier One would consist of India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, while Tier Two would include the West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Zimbabwe — with promotion and relegation based on performance.

The conversation has once again taken center stage in global cricket discourse. During a recent broadcast, TalkSport Cricket host Neil Manthorp and cricket analyst and broadcaster Machel St. Patrick Hewitt shared their views on the implications of such a system.

Hewitt acknowledged that the idea of a two-tier format is “gaining credibility,” particularly in light of the West Indies’ ongoing struggles in the longest format of the game.

“This will again raise those serious question marks about should there be tiered international cricket,” Hewitt said. “We can’t get away from the question. I know that there’s tradition and West Indies should be playing the likes of Australia, but when the disparity is so huge, it again brings into sharp focus — do West Indies gain more by playing Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh? Do they gain more from competitive series against them versus these kind of huge gaps in quality against Australia?”

Manthorp, however, warned that relegating teams like the West Indies to a lower division would be detrimental to the future of Test cricket in those regions.

“It’s death row if you put countries like the West Indies into Division Two,” he argued. “They’ll never take the step back up to Division One. You have to play against the best — and if that means bruising, embarrassing defeats, then at least you know in real time, in real life, what you have to do and where you need to be.

“At least the West Indies are taking wickets. I know there have been some dodgy pitches, but it would be worse if they were conceding 600 and not taking wickets and not scoring runs. I do think that if you create a Division Two, that’s what it will stay as — there’ll be no way back. And I don’t think Test cricket will be sustainable in regions like the West Indies.”

West Indies will face Australia in a five-match T20I series, which bowls off on Sunday, before their next Test assignment away to India