The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved the much-touted Test Championship and One Day International (ODI) League. ICC has also welcomed the countries to experiment with four-day Test matches.
Nine teams will participate in the Test Championship while twelve teams will play the ODI League.
ICC World Test Championship
While speaking to media personnel in Auckland, ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson said that while details still needed to be worked out, the Test championship would commence after the 50-overs World Cup in 2019 and culminate with a final in mid-2021.
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.
Though the exact schedule of the Championship is yet to be finalized, the ICC has decided that nine Test playing nations will be playing three series at home and away against each other.
ODI League
Richardson added that a 13-team ODI league would be introduced from 2021 and determine which teams qualify for the World Cup 2019 in India two years later.
Will India play Pakistan?
Now, it will be interesting to see if India and Pakistan will face each other in a world series. India has refused to play any bilateral series with Pakistan but the two sides have played each other in ICC tournaments, most prominently in the final of the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
