ICC Board meeting in Auckland, New Zealand/ICC

A Test match world championship and an ODI league are all set to be introduced to international cricket after the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board gave a go-ahead to the concept on the final day of the governing body's meeting in Auckland, New Zealand on Friday.

The Test championship will see nine teams play six series over two years ? three home and three away, while the ODI league will be a direct qualification pathway towards the ICC Cricket World Cup and will be contested by the 12 Full Members plus the winners of the current ICC World Cricket League Championship, the ICC said in a press release.

The first two-year Test championship will begin at the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup, with the top two teams by April 2021 to play off in a championship final in England in June of that year.

The first ODI league will commence in 2020-21, running for two years leading into the 2023 World Cup, before converting to a three-year league in each cycle beyond that.

?I would like to congratulate our Members on reaching this agreement and putting the interests of the development of the game first,? said ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar. ?Bringing context to bilateral cricket is not a new challenge, but this is the first time a genuine solution has been agreed on.?

ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson said: ?This is a significant point in time for ICC Members and our collective desire to secure a vibrant future for international bilateral cricket. The approval of both leagues is the conclusion of two years of work from the Members who have explored a whole range of options to bring context to every game.

?The ICC Board decision today means we can now go and finalise a playing schedule for the first edition as well as the points system, hosting arrangements and competition terms.?

The ICC Board also approved a trial of four-day Test matches to run through until the World Cup 2019. Members will be able to schedule four-day games by bilateral agreement.

?Our priority was to develop an international cricket structure that gave context and meaning across international cricket and particularly in the Test arena. This has been delivered and every Test in the new League will be a five-day Test format,? Richardson said.

?However throughout the discussions about the future of Test cricket it became clear that whilst context is crucial we must also consider alternatives and trial initiatives that may support the future viability of Test cricket. The trial is exactly that, a trial, just in the same way day-night Tests and technology have been trialled by Members,? he continued.

?Four-day Tests will also provide the new Test playing countries with more opportunities to play the longer version of the game against more experienced opponents, which, in turn, will help them to hone their skills and close the gap with the top nine ranked teams,? the ICC chief added.