ICC starts Test cricket revolution with 4-day matches, but not for India, England, Australia

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly set to approve four-day Test matches for smaller cricketing nations during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2027-29 cycle. However, traditional five-day Tests will be played between top-tier teams like India, Australia, and England.

South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, won the WTC 2025 final with a memorable victory over Australia in a thrilling final match at Lord’s earlier this week. The next WTC cycle is set to begin on Tuesday, June 17, with the opening Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium.

ICC Planning for Four-Day Tests to Help Smaller Nations in WTC

According to The Guardian, the ICC is considering the introduction of four-day Test matches during the WTC 2027-29 cycle to give smaller nations more opportunities to play longer series. 19 out of 27 scheduled series consist of only two Tests due to the five-day format in the 2025-27 cycle.

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The report added that discussions took place during the recent WTC final at Lord’s, where ICC Chair Jay Shah voiced support for the four-day format. However, marquee series involving England, Australia, and India will be played for five days.

"During discussions last week at the WTC final at Lord's, the ICC chair, Jay Shah, is understood to have expressed his support for four-day Tests, with a view to sanctioning them in time for the 2027-29 WTC cycle," a report in 'The Guardian' newspaper said.

"England, Australia and India would still be permitted to schedule five-Test series of five-day matches for the Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the first iteration of which begins with the first Test between England and India at Headingley on Friday."

Many Smaller Nations Are Reluctant to Host Tests Due to…

The ICC first approved the use of four-day Tests in 2017 for bilateral series. England have played multiple such matches, including a recent one against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, and earlier against Ireland in 2019 and 2023.

According to the report, "many smaller nations are reluctant to host Tests due to the time they take out of the schedule and the cost, but a move to four-day cricket would enable an entire three-Test series to be played in less than three weeks."

"In four-day Tests the playing hours are extended to mandate a minimum of 98 overs per day rather than 90 overs to mitigate the time lost," it said.

"South Africa's threadbare itinerary despite being crowned world champions in the thrilling final against Australia at Lord's last week has further highlighted the issue, and focused minds on the need for change," it added.

South Africa Will Not Host a Boxing Day Test This Year

Only a few series in the upcoming WTC cycles will have more than two Tests. Five-match series are limited to just three marquee contests, including the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy in England (2025), the Ashes in Australia (2025-26), and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India (2027).

Four-day Test matches would allow countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies to find space in their packed calendars for a three-match Test series. Sri Lanka are set to play only four Tests in all of 2025. Meanwhile, South Africa will not host a Boxing Day Test this year.

Under the proposed four-day format, daily playing time would be extended to cover a minimum of 98 overs instead of the traditional 90 overs.

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