Two-tier scrapped, BCB elated

Bangladesh Cricket Board expressed its delight after the International Cricket Council withdrew the proposal for the two-tier system in Test cricket during its chief executives committee meeting in Dubai on Wednesday. BCB has been opposing the two-tier proposal from the beginning along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Sri Lanka Cricket and Zimbabwe Cricket while the proposal was backed by the other six boards from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. “Obviously it's very good news as you know we have been opposing the proposal from the very beginning. India and Sri Lanka were also with us. We were hopeful as we were sure that this system won't bring anything good for us. So we have been opposing the issue from the beginning,” BCB president Nazmul Hasan told the media on Wednesday. “Since India joined us, our support became stronger and finally, the ICC has officially announced that. I am delighted for that. Our cricket is not heading towards darkness now,” he said. Earlier, one of the chief executives who attended the meeting on Wednesday informed, “There was a significant compromise and it was subsequently decided to withdraw the two-tier proposal.” According to the proposal, the two-tier system would comprise seven teams in the top tier and five in the bottom, with promotion and relegation system between the two based on performance. Being the top two Associate nations, Afghanistan and Ireland would join the lowest three ranked Test-playing nations in the bottom tier, along with the other Associates. They would have the chance to be promoted, based on their performance. The two-day CEC meeting was a special one as it was not part of the quarterly meetings held each year by the ICC where the representatives of the boards convened to discuss international cricket structures in all three formats. The other issues which were discussed in the meeting were alternative models to invigorate the health of Test and ODI cricket, and provide more context to fixtures, while the danger of excessive Twenty20 cricket was also discussed. Another proposal was to bring back the World Test Championship, but the proposal was opposed, including the BCCI. "They wanted a Test Championship. That cannot happen because there is not enough time for everybody to play everyone [in the current Future Tours Programme cycle]," a chief executive said.