Ravi Shastri joins growing list of people asking for new WTC format with the former India coach not a fan of the current format.
Ravi Shastri Calls For New WTC Format, Points At MCG Test as evidence regarding.
In order to preserve the red-ball game, former India coach Ravi Shastri demanded on Wednesday that Test cricket be divided into two tiers, with promotion and relegation. His remarks come after the fourth Test match between Australia and India, which attracted a record 373,691 fans over five thrilling days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That surpassed the previous record of 350,534 at the same venue during the 1936–37 Ashes series against England, when Test matches were played over six days and Donald Bradman dominated the sport.
Now a pundit, Shastri claimed he could not recall “a bigger advertisement for Test cricket” and that it demonstrated the five-day format’s ability to compete with the growing popularity of T20 franchise cricket.
However, the 62-year-old said it also strengthened his belief that additional matches between the top sides were necessary for Test cricket to endure.
“To break crowd records that have stood for nearly a century… is testimony to the fact that when the best teams play, the toughest and best format of the game is still alive and thriving,” he said in a column for The Australian newspaper.
“It was also a sound reminder to the ICC (International Cricket Council) that the best should play the best for Test cricket to survive.
“I will say that there’s too much of a clutter otherwise.
“This match further emphasizes why we need a two-tier system with the top 6-8 teams and then include promotion and demotion. You will not get these kinds of crowds if you don’t have two proper teams playing.”
The ICC has been contemplating a two-tier system for years to keep the competitive format but the plans have never got off the ground.