Cricket powerhouses Australia, India and England are contemplating a move to split Test playing teams into two divisions. According to an article published by The Age the chairs of Cricket Australia and England Cricket Board will be meeting the chair of International Cricket Council Jay Shah later this month where they are likely to moot the idea of having two separate divisions for the Test playing teams.

If the idea comes to fruition then it will make the "Big Three" i.e. India, Australia and England, play more Test matches against each other. The news comes soon after the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar series.

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The recently completed five-match Border-Gavaskar series (the test series played between India and Australia) saw record attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground and had considerable people turning to the stadiums in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

There are 12 Test playing teams as of now. and some of these teams play more Test matches against each other. For instance, India played five Tests against England at the start of the last year and toured Australia for a five-match Test series in 2024-25. India will be travelling to England for a five-match series later this year.

Australia and England always tend to "The Ashes" in a five-Test series format.

However for the move to materialize, the teams will have to wait at least till mid 2027 as the Test schedule for the teams have already been fixed till that time. It will also be the year that will see the conclusion of the fourth cycle (2025 to 2027) of the ICC World Test Championship.

The idea has got the backing of former India player and team's former coach Ravi Shastri.

"I've been a firm believer in that if you want Test cricket to survive and be alive and thriving, I think that's the way to go," Shastri told on SEN during the Sydney Test between Australia and India. Shastri is also one of the sport's leading commentators and he prominently features during most India matches.

According to The Age the idea of splitting the Test playing teams into two divisions was first envisaged in 2016. According to that plan there would have been seven teams competing in the top division and five teams playing in the second division. The idea had to be put on hold that time as it was opposed by BCCI, Sri Lanka Cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket.

The Age has also predicted how the two divisions will look like if the the Test cricket does move in this direction. According to the Australian daily, South Africa, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be in the first division while West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will make into the second division.

The move will have a downside too as it will dry up television revenues and sponsorship revenues for the teams from that will be in the second rung. When the teams like India, England and Australia play against the likes of Sri Lanka or the West Indies it gives the "lower" ranked teams to sign sponsorship deals and draw revenues from selling broadcast rights.