Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri wants fewer teams to play Test cricket with a promotion-relegation system to sustain both the quality as well as the interest in the longest format of the game. This suggestion comes amidst the threat that the format sees with the rise of various T20 leagues and financial incentives.

Shastri was speaking at an event hosted by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s and he insisted that Test cricket needs a total overhaul in structure to hold its relevance and appeal.

“When you don’t have quality, that is when the ratings drop, there are fewer people in the crowd, it’s meaningless cricket, which is the last thing the sport wants,” Shastri said.

“You have 12 Test match teams. Bring it down to six or seven and have a promotion and relegation system.

“You can have two tiers, but let the top six keep playing to sustain the interest in Test cricket. You can spread the game in other formats, like T20.” The influx of a significant number of domestic franchise T20 leagues has also compelled players to choose them over Tests, mainly due to their huge financial payout.

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Echoing Shastri’s sentiments, MCC president Mark Nicholas said while Test cricket is a league of its own, the sport needed the bucks to sustain itself in the longer run.

“T20 cricket is the behemoth that everybody wants. It is where the new market is, where the fans are and where the money is,” he said.

“In cricket, money is seen as a dirty word, but it shouldn’t be because it is the only way to sustain the game,” Nicholas remarked.

(With PTI inputs)