<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title><![CDATA[ICC proposes 4-day Tests for smaller nations but makes three exemptions]]></title>
        <description><![CDATA[The move aims to allow smaller nations to play more Tests, helping them navigate through their busy cricketing schedule. ]]></description>
        <link>https://www.cricketwinner.com</link>
        <generator>RSS for Node</generator>
        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:59:49 GMT</lastBuildDate>
        <atom:link href="https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/icc-proposes-4-day-tests-for-smaller-nations-but-makes-three-exemptions/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
        <language><![CDATA[en-US]]></language>
        <image>
            <url>https://www.cricketwinner.com/favicon.ico/</url>
            <title>Cricket Winner</title>
            <link>https://cricketwinner.com/</link>
            <width>185</width>
            <height>185</height>
        </image>
        <atom:link href="https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/icc-proposes-4-day-tests-for-smaller-nations-but-makes-three-exemptions/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[ICC proposes 4-day Tests for smaller nations but makes three exemptions]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[The move aims to allow smaller nations to play more Tests, helping them navigate through their busy cricketing schedule. ]]></description>
            <link>https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/icc-proposes-4-day-tests-for-smaller-nations-but-makes-three-exemptions/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/icc-proposes-4-day-tests-for-smaller-nations-but-makes-three-exemptions/</guid>
            <category><![CDATA[Cricket News]]></category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jun 2025 19:34:41 GMT</pubDate>
            <dc:creator>datrim-singha-ray</dc:creator>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img src="https://media.cricketwinner.com/media/2025/06/jay-shah.webp" width="1200" height="900" alt="jay shah.webp"/><figcaption>jay shah.webp</figcaption></figure><br><p>In a ground-breaking development, the <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/world-test-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Cricket Council (ICC)</a> is carefully mulling over the possibility of introducing four-day Tests for smaller nations in the 2027-29 World Test Championship cycle. By truncating the match by one day, the governing body aims to help the small ICC members maximize the opportunity to play more cricket.&nbsp;If implemented, the change would go down as one of the most radical changes by the ICC in recent times.&nbsp;</p><p>However, according to reports, three countries will be exempted from this plan. India, Australia, and England will continue to play five-day Test matches.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>See also:</strong> <a href="https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/icc-declines-india-s-request-to-host-upcoming-wtc-final-report/">ICC declines India&rsquo;s request to host upcoming WTC final: Report</a></p><h3>Jay Shah offers his support for a four-day Test</h3><p>According to a report published by "The Guardian" newspaper, the ICC chair <a href="https://www.cricketwinner.com/cricket-news/jay-shah-meets-uefa-president-ahead-of-psg-vs-inter-milan-2024-25-champions-league-final/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jay Shah</a> had an interaction with the officials during the WTC Final at Lord's, where he reportedly expressed his desire to have a four-day Test setup in place before the next WTC cycle.&nbsp;</p><p>"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."</p><p>The report further added that countries such as India, Australia, and England are exempt from the plan and are permitted to host a five-match Test series comprising five matches for their respective bilateral series, like the Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.&nbsp;</p><p>The smaller nations face challenges while playing five-day Tests, as it is often tight on their already congested schedule and entails a lot of cost. But by reducing the length of a Test match, small teams can have longer series, even though the days that they play may remain short.&nbsp;</p><p>"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."</p><p>The four-day Test theory is not new to the ICC. The global cricketing body has previously sanctioned four-day Tests in the past. Four-day Tests came into existence for bilateral competitions in 2017. England itself took part in some of those games. They faced Zimbabwe in a one-off four-day Test earlier last month, and also played against Ireland back in 2019 and 2023 in a one-off showdown as well.</p>]]></content:encoded>
            <classification>U/A 13+</classification>
        </item>
    </channel>
</rss>