LONDON: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee said yesterday countries could risk losing their Test status unless they played a “minimum number of Test matches over a four-year period”.
In a statement issued after it concluded its two-day meeting at Lord’s, the committee, chaired for the first time by former India captain Anil Kumble and featuring ex-England skipper Andrew Strauss, said it was concerned by several recent examples of Test matches being postponed to make way for one-day games.
The committee, while approving of all three major international formats, which also include one-day internationals and the even briefer Twenty20 fixtures, said Test cricket needed support if it was to retain its place at the pinnacle of cricket.
“The ICC cricket committee reiterated its support for the strategy of ensuring an optimum balance and a clear differentiation between the three formats of the game, and noted the need to ensure that Test cricket, in particular, was protected,” the statement said. AFP
