The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially opposed a two-tier model for the World Test Championship (WTC), distancing itself from any move that could stratify the format. ECB chairman Richard Thompson, speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special during the recent England–India Test at The Oval, asserted that relegation-based changes risk compromising traditional rivalries vital to the game’s commercial and cultural fabric. Thompson noted, “There are a lot of options that we’ve got to look at – tiers would be one of them. We wouldn’t want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two, and we don’t play Australia and India? That couldn’t happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here.” His statement aligns with reports from ESPNcricinfo indicating ECB’s internal reservations about any future WTC format that might exclude England from marquee series against cricketing heavyweights like India and Australia. Read also: KSCA Shifts Maharaja Trophy T20 to Mysuru Over Police Clearance Issue Changes Proposed, Not Replacement: Thompson Backs Refinement The ICC’s working group, formed in July 2025, is studying the WTC structure ahead of the next cycle beginning in 2027. The two-tier system was among major proposals at the ICC’s annual conference, but Thompson remains unconvinced of its viability. Instead, he urged modifications within the current structure. He remarked, “The World Test Championship could work better than it does. It has definitely improved the narrative, [and] it has created a relevance.” He cited South Africa’s triumph over Australia in the WTC 2025 final at Lord’s as a prime example of competitive unpredictability. He added, “Seeing what it meant for South Africa to win – who are crushed by rugby in their own country – and seeing players I know really well, like Graeme Smith, in tears on the outfield, that was a real moment." Thompson acknowledged past criticism, especially about South Africa fielding a second-string team in New Zealand last year. Still, he emphasised that Test cricket needs a practical calendar, not division. He concluded, “What you do need is a schedule that makes a lot more sense than it currently does, and that must include the volume of bilateral cricket that you play, white-ball and red-ball, and recognising that from 2028, we have an Olympics.”