The ICC is brewing a shake-up in Test cricket. If reports are to be believed, four-day Test matches may soon become a regular feature — but only for lower-ranked nations during the 2027–29 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Meanwhile, the cricketing big guns — India, Australia, and England — will stick to the classic five-day format for their blockbuster series.
This potential change is being pitched as a practical fix, aimed at solving scheduling headaches and making the longer format more accessible for smaller cricketing boards.
The challenge
In the current WTC cycle (2025–27), 19 out of 27 series are limited to just two Tests. That’s hardly ideal for growing the format or giving teams meaningful series.
The ICC believes shorter Test matches could unlock room in the calendar for more frequent contests, especially for countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.
During the WTC final at Lord’s, ICC Chair Jay Shah reportedly backed the idea, showing a clear push towards structural reform.
What changes?
Let’s be clear: the iconic five-match series aren’t going anywhere — at least not for the big three. The Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and the newly-launched Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will continue as five-day, five-Test blockbusters. These rivalries are simply too big to be trimmed.
However, for everyone else, four-day Tests could be the new normal. And this isn’t entirely new ground — England has already experimented with the format, including matches against Zimbabwe and Ireland in recent years.
What four-day Tests would look like?
To make up for the lost day, each day would feature 98 overs instead of 90. That means longer days for players and fans, but a full three-match series could be wrapped up in under three weeks — a massive win for both broadcasters and boards with tight budgets.
And let’s face it, many boards have been avoiding Test cricket altogether due to its financial burden and logistical demands. South Africa, despite winning a thrilling WTC final last week, isn’t even hosting a Boxing Day Test this year. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will play just four Tests in all of 2025.
This move could help countries like these get back into the Test rhythm without overloading their resources.
Is this the future of Test cricket?
There’s no denying the nostalgic charm of five-day battles. But for cricket to truly remain global, smaller nations need space to compete, and four-day Tests might just be that opening.
Shorter doesn’t always mean lesser. And who knows — in time, we might just fall in love with the four-day Test matches.
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