Introducing a two-tier strategy to the World Test Championship would beryllium "greedy" and would "sully the game", says erstwhile England accelerated bowler Steven Finn.
A study by the Melbourne Age, external said International Cricket Council (ICC) seat Jay Shah is acceptable to conscionable his Cricket Australia counterpart Mike Baird and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) brag Richard Thompson aboriginal this month, with sources saying proposals for 2 tiers of the World Test Championship volition beryllium discussed.
The plans could spot India, Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand successful tier one, with West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe making up the 2nd tier.
It would beryllium introduced aft the existent Future Tours Programme ends successful 2027.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan posted connected X, external saying it "has to happen" portion erstwhile India caput manager Ravi Shastri told SEN Radio "the champion playing the champion is needed for Test cricket to survive".
Potential changes travel amid a changing cricket scenery with much franchise leagues and multi-year deals - often with ample income - becoming disposable to players.
The England and Wales Cricket Board responded to that menace by offering multi-year cardinal contracts for the archetypal clip successful an effort to support players committed to planetary cricket.
The study said India, Australia and England are "conscious of the accelerated growth" of franchise leagues and backstage concern and the imaginable two-tier program is their latest effort to combat those concerns.
"I don't similar it - I don't deliberation it's bully for the game," Finn told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I deliberation it's greedy - monetising thing that is truthful axenic similar Test cricket feels similar it is sullying the game. It conscionable doesn't beryllium close with me."
Former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, who led them to occurrence successful the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, has criticised the plans, saying they "must beryllium stopped now".
''It volition beryllium unspeakable for each those countries who enactment truthful hard to get to Test-match presumption and present they'll beryllium playing among themselves successful a little section," Lloyd, 80, said.
"How are they going to marque it to the top? When you play against amended teams, you improve. That's however you cognize however bully you are, oregon however atrocious you are. I americium precise disturbed.
"The amended strategy would beryllium to springiness the teams the aforesaid magnitude of wealth truthful they tin get the tools to improve.''
West Indies were unbeaten successful Tests betwixt 1980 and February 1995, but they person struggled successful caller years, with their past bid triumph coming successful February 2023 against Zimbabwe.
Their past bid triumph against a squad that would beryllium successful the projected tier 1 was against England successful March 2022.
They did propulsion disconnected a celebrated triumph against Australia successful Brisbane successful January 2024 to gully the series.
''We conflict a lot, we request peculiar dispensation," said Lloyd. ''Some astatine the bottommost are not playing Test matches and immoderate are playing a satellite of Test matches.
"The strategy is not right. They person to beryllium down and enactment it out, that's what they're determination for. That's their duty, that's their occupation to bash that."
Former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent is besides against the proposals.
"If we conscionable spot much and much of the large guns going against each other, great, I'm definite it would beryllium entertaining, but what does it mean for the game?" she told 5 Live.
"The world is that we're playing successful a planetary game, and what we bash privation - conscionable to play a mates of countries to support the buzz determination consistently?
"Scheduling and timing of cardinal bid does go truly important and trying to debar those large windows [like Olympics and large shot tournaments], but I wouldn't sacrifice having a planetary crippled conscionable to support everyone revved up 24/7."
'It would springiness america thing to get our teeth into' - those successful favour of 2 tiers
Shastri, who played for India betwixt 1981 and 1992 and past coached the squad from 2017 to 2021, believes the changes are indispensable to support the Test format arsenic the pinnacle.
"When the champion teams play, the toughest and champion format of the crippled is inactive live and thriving," helium said.
"It [the Australia v India series] was a stark reminder that the champion should play the champion for Test cricket to survive. There is excessively overmuch of a clutter otherwise."
England's 2005 Ashes-winning skipper Vaughan agrees and said successful a column for the Telegraph, external: "I judge it [Test cricket] is simply a four-day merchandise with a acceptable fig of overs each time enforced, 3 matches minimum per bid and 2 divisions of six, including promotion and relegation.
"I was delighted to work the ICC are considering a two-tier operation from 2027 which could spot the Ashes staged doubly each 3 years.
"I person been saying for a agelong clip this is the mode to support Test cricket applicable by ensuring the champion play the champion arsenic often arsenic imaginable and we get less mis-matches."
Ireland were the past team, alongside Afghanistan, to beryllium fixed Test presumption successful 2017.
They person played 9 Tests since, winning doubly against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
Their 5 games against teams successful the projected archetypal tier person seen defeats by 5 wickets against Pakistan, 143 runs and 10 wickets against England and 2 defeats by an innings against Sri Lanka.
Speaking to the BBC World Service's Stumped podcast past March, their selector Andrew White suggested they would enactment a two-tier idea.
"I deliberation it is crying retired for that to beryllium brutally honest," helium said.
"The gulf betwixt Afghanistan and ourselves to England, India and Australia is monolithic astatine Test level.
"We privation to springiness the players a accidental to play and amended and for those games to person immoderate context.
"If you had a two-tier Test Championship it would springiness the guys thing to get their teeth into."