The pressure from current associate and affiliate countries to obtain test status is likely to grow, particularly if these countries continue to gain the occasional victory over a full-member country in one-day or twenty20 internationals. However, it is clear that, at present, a substantial difference in standard exists between the top associate and affiliate countries and Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, the weaker of the full-members. Since there is a further difference in standard between these two countries and the other full-members, which has led to some criticism of whether their test status is justified, it seems unlikely that any associate or affiliate country will be granted full membership in the near future.

Yet, until associates and affiliates are regularly exposed to playing full members in all forms of the game, improving their standard will be hard. The best cricketers can improve their game by playing for first-class sides of the full member countries but this will produce only one or two top class players per country at any one time and, as has been the case with Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands, leads to players prioritising their first-class career over their country and, in some cases, to decide to represent their adopted country internationally.

One simple approach to encouraging associate and affiliate countries to meet their aspirations of playing cricket at the highest level would be for the ICC to separate the issue of test status from full membership. All the requirements of full membership could remain which would imply that cricket is a major sport in that country, played by men and women at all levels, supported by a proper administrative structure and the presence of grounds recognised as suitable for staging international cricket. Full membership would give that country the right to have a say in how cricket is governed world-wide and how it might develop in the future. A few of the present associate countries might eventually meet the requirements to become full members.

Outside the question of full membership, the ICC should establish an International Cricket League for the five-day version of the game, based on the present arrangements for the ICC Intercontinental Cup, namely, divisions of six countries with each country playing one match against the others in the division over a period of two years. The top six test-rated countries should form Division 1 with the remaining four countries and the two finishers in the Intercontinental Cup making up Division 2. The remaining four countries of the Intercontinental Cup and the top two of the Intercontinental Shield could comprise a Division 3. Further divisions could be formed if there was an interest in other associate and affiliate countries in playing five-day cricket.

There would be promotion and relegation between the divisions. This could be automatic with say the top country in one division replacing the bottom country in the division above. Alternatively, the top country in one division could challenge the bottom country in the division above for the right for promotion in a play-off match on a neutral ground.

The matches in the top two divisions should be granted test status. This would mean that any associate or affiliate country could obtain test status for as long as their playing standard warranted it. This might be a sufficient stimulus for a country to hold on to its best players internationally and perhaps encourage its cricket administration to enhance the popularity of the game and implement moves towards obtaining full membership.

However, there would be no requirement to do this. This approach would allow countries like The Netherlands to play test-match cricket, assuming their players were good enough, even though the chance of the game becoming a major sport in the country is small. It should be noted that the Dutch and the Irish already have test-match status for women’s matches without being full members of the ICC.

The approach would also allow Afghanistan to play test cricket, again if their standard warranted it, without the need to establish a test match ground or to develop a women’s team. Where an associate or affiliate country does not have suitable international grounds or there are concerns over security of visiting teams, matches could be played on neutral grounds.

The effects on the existing test-match programme of full-member countries would be limited. By taking two years to complete the league, the existing test series between members could be used, with one test match in each series being designated the match for the International Test League. If this was the final match in a series it could give added meaning to a fixture which, if the series had already been decided, would otherwise have little importance. Obviously there would be some new fixtures for the countries in Division 2 but since this would include Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, teams which other full members only play reluctantly, a Test League would increase their exposure to test cricket.

The Test League could therefore run alongside existing test-match arrangements. The rights of full members to organise test matches against each other would not be altered. All existing competitions, such as The Ashes, the Wisden Trophy and others could continue, even if the countries concerned were in different divisions. Even if one of the full member countries were to be relegated from Division 2, they would still remain a full member and could still play tests against other full members. Were that to happen, there would be clear evidence that the gap between full members and associate / affiliate counties had narrowed and the ICC would have achieved one of its objectives.

The main argument against what is proposed is that the top associate / affiliate countries are not yet of test-match standard. However, unless they gain experience of playing five-day cricket against existing test-match sides, they never will be. Since there seems to be no interest by the full member countries in setting up such fixtures, an International Test League could be a way forward. If the full-member countries felt strongly about standards, it could be agreed that Division 2 matches should not have test status but it would seem unlikely that full-member countries would agree to five-day matches which were not classed as tests.

An International Test League could be instituted very easily and give an incentive to associate / affiliate countries to raise their standards and ultimately to prove their worth or otherwise as test-playing countries. Either some countries would attain almost permanent test-match status, perhaps even gaining promotion to Division 1 in due course, or the situation would be very fluid with countries obtaining test status for only two or perhaps four years at a time.

The latter would seem more likely at present since there is much evidence to indicate that an associate / affiliate country can become strong for a few years but that, as their best players get older and eventually retire, it is difficult to develop a system whereby their replacements are of the same quality. This has certainly been the case over the last decade with Kenya and Scotland. It will be interesting to see whether Ireland and Afghanistan follow the same path.

If the ICC is really serious about raising the standards of associate and affiliate cricket, it needs to take a more radical approach if its investments in players, coaches, administration and facilities though its development and high performance programmes are to be maximised.

The approach proposed here is simple, does not affect the rights of full-member countries, does not depend on associate countries being promoted to full membership (though it does not exclude it) and would not substantially increase the number of test matches for existing full members.