IRELAND�s dream of test cricket at Malahide will come a step closer if the International Cricket Council adopts a radical new plan for organising the game.

The Irish Daily Star has seen a copy of a secret draft position paper for the ICC�s Finance & Commercial Affairs Commercial Rights Working Group which calls for promotion to and relegation from a new top eight tier.

The document calls on ICC to create �a playing system based on meritocracy and not category of membership.�

Ireland has been the leading �associate� member for the past eight years but is excluded from tests because of the closed shop �full� member system.

The leaked report suggests a system which will provide a ladder for associates to �potentially play tests based on their performance in the ICC Inter-Continental Cup�.

Last month Ireland won its fourth I-Cup out of the last five stagings of the event.

There has been much speculation that the cup would be binned, but the new proposal could mean a lifeline for the four-day tournament.

The ICC Executive Board will consider the plan at its quarterly meeting on 28-29 January.

The document suggests that from 2015-23 teams ranked 9 and 10 in test cricket will play in two editions of the I-Cup with the leading associates. The winner of each event will challenge the 8th ranked nation in a two home/two away series with the winner promoted to play against the top seven nations.

Ironically, while it provides Ireland with a pathway to test cricket, it also makes that more difficult by requiring Phil Simmons� men to beat three current full members to do so.

The likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will lose out under this plan but a "no disadvantage" condition states that none of the current ICC Full Members would lose that status � and the estimated $25m year subsidy.

However, there is likely to be opposition to the plan at this point, as it says that �relegation exceptions� will apply to India, England and Australia, �in order to protect ICC income due to the importance of those markets and teams to prospective ICC media rights buyers.�

The group also suggests a new Executive committee made up of the big three plus one member other representing the other seven full members and 100+ associates and affiliates.

While the document states �the leading countries of India, Australia and England have agreed to provide greater leadership at and of ICC,� many will see this as a naked power grab.

India has flexed its muscles at ICC in recent years, with 80% of the body�s income coming from the Asian giant.

The report also noted that of the $315m ICC allocates to A&A; cricket, only $125m actually ends up in the countries, with the rest going on administration and organising tournaments.

The group states that $48.6m went to the top six associates (including Ireland) in the period 2007-15. It proposes that more be invested in the higher performing associates, with the top six sharing $105m in the eight years from 2015-23.