The expansion or restructuring of the World Test Championship (WTC) seems unlikely. After pushback from certain boards like the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the International Cricket Council (ICC) had decided against a two-tier system and was instead looking to add Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe to the WTC from the next cycle, 2027-29.
ICC to discuss WTC expansion
Roger Twose, a former New Zealand cricketer, was appointed head of a working group, and it’s his job to present WTC recommendations to the ICC.
It was expected that the ideas would be discussed during the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC), which will be held virtually on May 21, but that won’t happen. Instead, the matter will be brought up during the in-person board meeting from May 30 to 31 in Ahmedabad, at the sidelines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Final.
Apart from expansion from 9 to 12 teams, the working group has suggested adding one-off Test matches to be included in the WTC. Currently, the ICC only awards points for series with a minimum of 2 matches.
Why suggestions could be shot down
However, the ICC might reject both ideas. One has to realise that Australia, England, and Pakistan are boycotting Afghanistan at the moment. The former two are due to the policies and human rights violations of the current regime in Afghanistan, while the latter is due to an ongoing conflict between the two neighbouring nations.
This would give Afghanistan the luxury to play against weaker oppositions like Ireland, Zimbabwe, the West Indies, and Bangladesh, and game the WTC points system, which favours percentage points rather than just points. Despite playing fewer games, weaker teams can have better results by playing one-off Tests than teams that face tougher opposition and play more matches.
Other points of discussions
During these two meetings, the ICC will also discuss challenges around data monetisation and mobile gaming. Global broadcasting rights, the deal between the ICC and JioStar, which will end in 2027, is the main agenda. The ICC has also sent a delegation to Sri Lanka after the country’s government took over control of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
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