Why Four-Day Cricket Matters

T20 cricket has transformed the global game. It has brought new audiences, new leagues, new players and new commercial opportunities. One-day cricket remains an essential part of international cricket as well. But if the goal is to develop complete cricketers, four-day cricket still has a unique role.

• Batters need to learn how to build a long innings, survive difficult spells, adapt to changing conditions and maintain concentration for hours.
• Fast bowlers need to learn how to bowl sustained spells, use the old ball and create pressure over long periods.
• Spinners need time to understand batters, exploit deteriorating pitches and develop different methods of attack.
• Wicketkeepers need the concentration and discipline required to stay involved throughout a long match.

These skills cannot always be developed through short-format cricket alone. That is why Associate nations need a meaningful red-ball competition.

The ICC Has Already Shown That This Can Work

There is already a successful example from the past. The ICC Intercontinental Cup provided Associate nations with an important first-class platform. It allowed teams to play longer-format cricket, develop players and gain valuable experience in conditions that were closer to traditional international red-ball cricket. For many players, it was an important step in their development.

However, the opportunities for Associate nations to play regular four-day cricket have become far more limited over time. This raises an important question: If international cricket is becoming more global, why shouldn’t red-ball cricket become more global as well? The ICC has an opportunity to bring that concept back in a new and improved form.

Our Proposal: A 24-Team ICC Four-Day Championship

The ICC could introduce a dedicated Four-Day Championship featuring the strongest Associate nations outside the established Test-playing group. Teams could qualify based on ICC rankings, recent performances, regional competitions and a structured qualification system.

As an example, a 24-team edition could be organised into two major pools:

This is only an example of how the competition could be structured. The participating teams should be determined through an official qualification and ranking system before every tournament cycle. The important point is not the exact list of teams, but creating a permanent four-day platform for Associate cricket.

A Tournament, Not Just a Short-Term Event

The biggest mistake would be to treat this as another short tournament that takes place once every few years. Instead, the ICC should create a proper multi-year competition. Teams should receive a guaranteed number of four-day matches during every cycle. This would allow national cricket boards to plan their seasons properly, develop red-ball squads and invest in first-class players.

A young cricketer should know that representing his country does not only mean playing T20s and one-day matches. There should also be a clear red-ball pathway.

First-Class Status Should Be a Major Objective

Where the necessary standards are met, these matches should receive official First-Class status. That would be extremely important for players:

• Batters would be able to build recognised first-class careers.
• Bowlers would have official first-class records.
• Players could accumulate centuries, five-wicket hauls, long innings and other achievements that are important in the traditional game.

Most importantly, Associate players would have a professional red-ball record that could help them attract opportunities in domestic leagues and overseas cricket.

A New Generation and Professional Pathway

Talent is not the biggest problem in Associate cricket. Opportunity is. There are talented young players in almost every cricketing region, but talent needs competitive cricket to develop. A young batter playing a four-day international-style match can learn how to construct an innings rather than simply attack from the beginning. A young fast bowler can learn how to manage his workload and bowl long spells, while a spinner can learn how to build pressure over an entire session.

In many Associate nations, cricket is still developing as a professional sport. A regular four-day international competition could encourage cricket boards to introduce better contracts, training programmes and domestic first-class structures. It could create a clear career pathway:

That pathway would make cricket more sustainable in developing nations. A young player could realistically look at cricket and say: “I can build a professional career as a red-ball cricketer for my country.” That is exactly the kind of long-term vision Associate cricket needs.

Conditions, Regional Structure, and Promotion/Relegation

The tournament should ideally include home-and-away fixtures wherever scheduling and finances allow. Playing in different countries—Asian spin pitches, African pace challenges, European weather variations, and Pacific environments—would provide invaluable experience. The purpose of international cricket is not only to win matches, but also to learn how to play cricket in different conditions.

The ICC could connect the Four-Day Championship with its regional cricket structure (Asia, Africa, Europe, East Asia-Pacific, and the Americas). Furthermore, introducing promotion and relegation would ensure that every match carries absolute importance, as teams play not only for a trophy, but for their position in the international red-ball structure.

Commercially, It Can Work

One of the obvious questions is whether such a competition would be financially sustainable. The answer could lie in a modern broadcasting model. Not every match needs to be shown on traditional television. The ICC and its partners could use digital streaming, regional broadcasters and official online platforms to make the competition accessible to cricket fans around the world.

With the right branding and storytelling, Associate cricket could attract a dedicated audience. Every emerging team has a story; every developing player has a story. A global four-day championship could bring those stories to cricket fans everywhere.

This Could Become a Bridge to Test Cricket

Perhaps the biggest long-term benefit would be the creation of a genuine pathway toward Test cricket. If the ICC wants to consider expanding Test cricket in the future, Associate nations need a strong red-ball foundation first. A structured pathway could look something like:

Not every team would need to reach Test status, but every serious cricket nation should have the opportunity to build the skills and infrastructure required to eventually compete at the highest level.

An Opportunity for the ICC

There is no question that T20 cricket will remain one of the biggest drivers of global cricket. But globalisation should not mean only creating more T20 teams. True cricket development means giving players the opportunity to play all formats.

A 24-team Four-Day Championship would not simply provide additional matches. It could develop professional red-ball players, strengthen domestic first-class systems, give young players international experience, create new cricketing rivalries, improve coaching and preparation standards, and provide Associate boards with a long-term development plan.

Our Request to the ICC

• Create a permanent ICC Four-Day Championship for Associate Nations.
• Give the strongest Associate teams a structured competition with a clear qualification pathway.
• Give players the opportunity to build first-class careers and boards the incentive to invest in red-ball infrastructure.

The Intercontinental Cup once showed what was possible. Now it is time to build something even bigger. It is time to give Associate cricket a genuine Four-Day future.