Cricket Australia (CA) wants to push for a "minimum of three-Test series" to be played in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle to keep the red-ball format of the game alive and kicking.
While CA chief executive Nick Hockley understands that a fully operational T20 tournament is paramount for certain countries that rely on it to thrive on the world stage, he wants the cricket governing bodies around the world to devise a plan that could aim at preventing the overlap of such leagues with the international calendar.
"The preference is a minimum three-Test series. So we'll keep advocating and championing that. I do think there is work to be done on the FTP (Future Tours Programme) going forward, and it's really (about) cementing the World Test Championship, (and) really advocating for three-Test series as an absolute minimum," Hockley said as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
"And then as best as we possibly can, making sure that (when it comes to) domestic T20 competitions, we minimise the overlap for those countries where it is an important source of revenue, so that every country is prioritising international - and particularly Test - cricket," he added.
Hockley's statement has come in the aftermath of Cricket South Africa prioritising its domestic T20 league, SA20, by holding all of its star players back at home and selecting a squad predominantly comprising fringe players for a two-match Test tour of New Zealand which coincides with the SA20 2024 schedule.
"That's been a wake-up call for everyone. The role of T20 [in] bringing new kids and new people into the game can't be underestimated. The belief is that the two can coexist. This was suboptimal scheduling.
"I think we in Australia - it's very clear that throughout the whole period the Big Bash has been around - have always prioritised international cricket. But this has shone a light. And certainly, we'll be working with the ICC through scheduling groups to make sure those types of clashes don't manifest and really champion the fact that people need to be prioritising international cricket," Hockely mentioned.
Hockley also voiced support for cricket bodies that are struggling from the economic point of view to play Test cricket and endorsed the idea of the well-off boards and the ICC coming together and supporting them.
"The challenge is the economics. There are parts of the world where the revenue from the T20, ODI and a Test are the same, yet the costs of putting on a Test are significantly higher.
"What we've seen over the last few years in Australia, what we're seeing this summer, and what we saw in the UK over the English summer is that Test cricket is really thriving in certain countries. And in that sense, it is a bit of a two-speed economy. The challenge is that we continue to support those countries that are struggling a little bit more in terms of Test cricket," he concluded.
