ICC chief hints at Test Championship by 2013

CRICKET: LONDON, July 16 (AFP)- International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat has hinted England could play host to an inaugural Test championship in 2013.

The ICC, cricket's governing body, have been weighing up the possibility of introducing a Test championship as they seek to revive interest in the five-day game following the rise of the Twenty20 format. A sub-committee had been tasked with investigating the idea and Lorgat revealed on Friday that the ICC were looking into the possibility of staging a Test championship instead of the 2013 Champions Trophy, which England is due to host.

"There's real talk of a Test play-off in the not too distant future around 2012 or 2013," Lorgat told Radio Five Live Extra.

"There's a slot in 2013 that we think could work, where they would take the existing rankings table and the top four would progress into a semi-final and final.

"We have an open mind, we will structure the formats and events correctly so we are not sitting with the mindset that this is not negotiable.

"If that (the Champions Trophy) has to be replaced by the Test championship final, then so be it."

The sub-committee, which is made up of the governing body's general manager for cricket Dave Richardson and five member nation chief executives, presented a discussion paper to the ICC board at their meeting in Singapore last month.