Test World Champs Set For 2013

The International Cricket Council is eyeing June 2013 for the inaugural Test World Championship and will use current rankings to decide the four play-off spots, according to the governing body’s CEO Haroon Lorgat.

Test cricket, which has struggled to maintain its profile since the advent of Twenty20, currently has a rankings system but no tournament to determine the top test nation.

The ICC has proposed a quadrennial tournament with the four best-performing nations to meet in semi-finals before playing off for the world title in a bid to boost flagging interest in the longest form of the sport.

‘I think the first possible opportunity for us to have a play-off is in 2013 which means that the current rankings table would need to be used,’ Lorgat said.

‘For example, right now Australia would be struggling to qualify for the play-offs. But there may be another scenario with somebody else would also be in the frame depending on this result they might slip in.

‘Going forward we’re looking at a league table that would be worked on points and for match winnings, Lorgat said, but details on how to treat draws, which occur regularly in test cricket, were yet to be decided.

‘One option is whichever is the highest ranked team would progress through. There’s the possibility of the timeless test, you’ve got to get to a result,’ he added.

Lorgat also confirmed the 2015 one-day international World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand would be stripped from 14 teams to 10, while the biennial Twenty20 World Cup tournament would be expanded from 12 to 16.

Sri Lanka will host the next Twenty20 World Cup in 2012.