ICC gives green light to Test championship, ODI league

TIL Desk Sports/ The International Cricket Council has given the green light to a Test championship and One-day international league, while countries are also welcome to experiment with four-day Tests, the world governing body said on Friday.

A Test championship has long been mooted as a means to make the longest form of the game more relevant for fans who have increasingly turned towards limited-overs matches. ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson told reporters in Auckland on Friday that while details still needed to be worked out, the Test championship will commence after the 50-overs World Cup in 2019 and culminate with a final in mid-2021.

Nine of the 12 Test-approved countries — Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland will initially be excluded — will play three home and three away series over the two years that count towards the championship. The series can be a minimum of two matches and maximum of five, with all Tests to be five days in length. The top-two teams in April 2021 will meet in the final two months later.