Test cricket could 'bankrupt' nations - Aussie CEO

Mohammed Siraj bowled India to an epic six-run win in the final Test against England to secure a 2-2 draw in their compelling series this summer

The traditional Test calendar could lead to bankruptcy for certain nations, Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg warned as he called for a slimmed-down schedule.

Greenberg wants quality prioritised over quantity to ensure a viable future for red-ball cricket.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently set up a working group to discuss the Test format and the potential to introduce a two-tier system.

"Scarcity in Test cricket is our friend, not our foe," said Greenberg.

"I don't think everyone in world cricket needs to aspire to play Test cricket, and that might be OK.

"We're literally trying to send countries bankrupt if we force them to try to play Test cricket."

Greenberg wants to see marquee series such as the Ashes between England and Australia - the 2025-26 series gets under way in Australia in 100 days' time - receive greater investment.

The pulsating five-match series between England and India this summer was Test cricket at its finest.

However, Australia won each of their three Tests in the West Indies by at least 133 runs, while New Zealand cruised to a comfortable series victory in Zimbabwe - winning one of the Tests by an innings and 359 runs.

"We need to make sure we invest in the right spaces to play Test cricket where it means something and has jeopardy," Greenberg added.

"That's why the Ashes will be as enormous and profitable as it is - because it means something."

The emergence of shorter forms of the sport has proved difficult for Test cricket, with T20 franchise leagues and The Hundred offering lucrative player contracts in domestic cricket, and adding further congestion to the global calendar.