The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, contested between Australia and India, emerged as a significant event, captivating the attention of cricket enthusiasts. An official announcement from Cricket Australia revealed that a total of 837,879 spectators attended the series, which took place across five venues: Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Australia triumphed in the series with a score of 3-1, achieving the fourth-highest attendance and setting a record for the most spectators at any non-Ashes series. In light of the series' success, former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri advocated for a transformative two-tier system to ensure the sustainability of Test cricket.

Shastri emphasized the necessity for major teams to regularly compete against one another to keep Test cricket vibrant and flourishing. “It was also a sound reminder to the ICC that the best should play the best for Test cricket to survive. I will say that there’s too much of a clutter otherwise,” he remarked during an interview on SEN Radio.

A recent report from the Sydney Morning Herald indicated that discussions are underway among Australia, England, India, and the new chairman of the International Cricket Council, Jay Shah, regarding the potential division of Test cricket into two tiers.

Should this proposal be realized, the leading three nations would have the opportunity to face each other more frequently. Shah, along with Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird and England Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson, is scheduled to convene later this month, with the two-tier structure for Test cricket on the agenda.

A dual-tier system is required

The former head coach of Team India has emphasized the urgent need for a two-tier system in Test cricket, advocating for the inclusion of promotion and demotion within this framework.

"This match highlights the necessity of establishing a two-tier system comprising the top 6-8 teams, along with mechanisms for promotion and demotion. The absence of competitive teams will result in diminished crowd attendance," stated Shastri.

The recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy achieved the highest attendance figures for any non-Ashes series held in Australia.

In Perth, the second day of the Test set a new record for daily attendance, with 32,368 spectators present. Additionally, the Test in Adelaide recorded the highest single-day attendance for a match against India, drawing 51,642 fans on Day 2.

The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne reached an unprecedented attendance of 373,691, setting a new record for any Test match in Australia, surpassing the previous record of 350,534 set during a six-day Test in 1937.

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