Sri Lanka appreciates BCCI's stand on two-tier Test proposal

Colombo [Sri Lanka], Sept.7 (ANI): Sri Lanka Cricket has thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for supporting their viewpoint in opposing the recently-proposed 'two-tier' Test system by the International Cricket Council (ICC). SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said, "Sri Lanka has already made very clear its opposition to two tier test proposal of ICC as it's detrimental for lower ranked countries in many ways. Sri Lanka Cricket believes that two tire system would adversely affect the revenues of lower ranked nations, competitiveness of their international competitions, spectator interest, long term growth in already established markets." "Now, the BCCI has also come up in support of Sri Lanka Cricket on this matter as they understand the adverse effect on the lower ranked countries due to the proposed two tire system. We thank BCCI and its President for supporting our viewpoint in opposing two tier test system which will be detrimental for lower ranked countries in number of ways," he added. Sumathipala also lauded the leadership position taken by BCCI president Anurag Thakur to protect the interests of lower ranked countries. Thakur had recently quashed the idea of four-day Test match and two-tier system, saying that neither of the changes will solve the problem of poor attendance in the longest format of the game. While insisting that the proposal was fundamentally against the basic purpose and identity of the ICC, Thakur had said that the smaller boards would suffer in the proposed two-tier Test system. Besides Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), too, had expressed their reservations about the divisional Test structure. The ICC requires at least seven of its 10 full members to pass the resolution for the two-tier system to come into force, but with the four nations disapproving the proposal, it now looks unlikely. (ANI)