New Test Cricket Premier League

[Owzat]

Hi
I believe instead of a two tier test system with 5 teams each instead we should have a two tier system with 10 teams each and 3 promotions & relegation. Infact there should be a Tier 2 where in the worst performers of Tier 2 should be replaced by better one's in associate teams. It will infact not make Bangladesh type teams complacent as they have continuously lost to teams like Canada, Ireland etc. It will be a system based on merit. The teams can be

Tier 1: Aus, BD, Eng, Ind, Pak, NZ,SA, SL, WI & Zim
Tier 2: Any 10 of Ire, Neth, Scot, Afg, UAE, Nep, HK, Malay, PNG, Fiji, Ken, Nam, Ugan, Ber, USA, Can, Arg, Oman, Den
Tier 3: Rest of Teams

What Say?

Too many teams and your system would replace three ordinary/rubbish sides with three more ordinary/rubbish sides into a tier with too many teams

I know a lot of people shake their heads when talking about a top tier without whoever their idea is of who should be there, but at the end of the day cricket is dying because it has too many mismatch series.

as for the comment about windies dominating until the mid-90s, well way to look to the distant past. That was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO ffs, they aren't half the side they were even 7-10 years ago. Perhaps the FA should have allowed Newcastle to be relegated, or indeed Leeds or other sides who had glory days :sarcasm If you are getting thrashed all the time, how are you ever going to improve?!?! windies, kiwis, zimmers and bangles are all way too weak, so essentially people are suggesting they leach off the other sides by using the draw/attraction of playing good sides to keep them going. I've heard something similar argued for bring the old firm into the Premiership.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

the two teir system is rubbish. It only seems to make sense right now because of the way the teams have gone.

one or two of the weaker ones could really improve, or 2 of the stronger ones could pull away and then there would be a different balance (5 years ago, it was just australia the best, then everyone else vying for positions?)

Also, people need to get real about associate nations playing for the top tier. These countries are made of part-time players and boards with limited funds, Irish players cannot spend 6 months of the year in Africa playing a variety of associate nations in tours that will be watched by no one and make no money.

the bangladesh situation needs to be put to rest, yes they are a lot weaker than the other teams, but they have a FC competition and an interested public that makes employing full time professional cricketers reasonable. They are worthy of being a test nation so lets stop the silly league systems that are designed to push them out.

 

[sifter132]

Also, people need to get real about associate nations playing for the top tier. These countries are made of part-time players and boards with limited funds, Irish players cannot spend 6 months of the year in Africa playing a variety of associate nations in tours that will be watched by no one and make no money.

Yep important point and it means that any home and away structured 2nd tier dreams are just that - dreams. What you need to do it create smaller regional tiers so that the part time players don't have to make many tours yet can still play international cricket. So for example you could have a top tier with the best 8-10 teams, then under that you could have 4 or 5 equal tiers made up of 5-6 teams that play each other locally. Eg.
one tier would be European and have Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, England 'A', Denmark
Another would be an African one have Kenya, South Africa 'A', Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe.
Another would be middle east/north asia and have India 'A', Sri Lanka 'A', Pakistan 'A', Nepal, UAE, Afghanistan, Oman
then a southern asia one: Australia and New Zealand 'A', PNG, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Fiji
And an american/caribbean one: USA, CAnada, West Indies 'A', Bermuda and Argentina I guess would have to go here (or maybe in Africa)

The tiers would play mostly amongst themselves, but maybe once a year they have a tour to one of the other regions - their big event of the year where they take time off work play a couple of series and get exposed to different conditions.