Michael Vaughan I have a plan to save future of Test cricket

With promotion and relegation at stake, Test cricket could get the shot in the arm it needs

Test cricket desperately needs two divisions and this series against West Indies is proving that change has to happen now. I do not even think it is a radical suggestion. Promotion and relegation are normal aspects of most sports but, at the moment, Test cricket survives on an arcane system of bilateral series with no ordered fixture list and a rankings system that cannot be understood easily and so, really, does not matter.

Ask someone in the street who are No1 in the Test rankings and they have no idea. Most people in the game do not know either.

But in cricket the global governing body, the International Cricket Council, does not have the power to overcome the selfinterests of the nations who sit at the top table and make all the decisions, which is why the idea of two divisions was dropped last year.

England are just as guilty as the others, with their part in the Big Three takeover that sent a message to the poorer nations that they do not matter any more.

How can we expect them to take Test cricket seriously and fund what is an expensive form of the game if we do not give them the money to do so? But it is in our interests to make sure there are strong teams around the world, otherwise we have the overkill of Ashes or India series that has happened in recent years.

Now the ICC is looking at a one-division system and hopes to vote it through in October, but what are the consequences for not performing in Test cricket and not taking it seriously if there is no form of relegation?

Better to have two divisions of six or, even, three divisions of four if necessary with a semi-final and final at the end of a two-year cycle. Play each other home and away with more points for an away win. Iconic series such as the Ashes can be scheduled outside the league structure to ensure it survives if England and Australia are in different divisions.

Fans want to see a winner every two years. A final with something riding on it. We also want to know who is relegated, who is promoted and which countries have shown some progress.

Open Test cricket up to more teams and expand the second division, widen the spread of the game and ensure funding is in place so those countries in the bottom division do not lose money.

Cricket is a costly game and all countries need an infrastructure to compete, so we have to make sure, with two divisions, that the rich do not get richer at the expense of the poor, otherwise teams such as West Indies will never recover.

Just imagine if at the end of two years England have to win a series against Pakistan, for example, 3-0 to reach the final. Or they have to draw the last Test of a series to avoid relegation.

It would add tremendous pressure on the players, give the broadcasters something to sell and market to the public and might get

Relegation would bring an element of shame, forcing West Indies to address their issues

a few more people in the ground. Winning the league should also be worth a big bonus for the players – that way a few might turn down Twenty20 contracts to play Test cricket.

Some argue that teams like West Indies, Ireland and Afghanistan will learn only by playing the better sides. Rubbish. You learn nothing from constantly being hammered away from home. One radical way around this issue could be changing the way we approach warm-up games before Test series.

Teams touring England could play a proper first-class warm-up game against Ireland. It would be better than playing against a county second XI team.

In the subcontinent, why not play warm-up games against Afghanistan or fly out West Indies to give them some experience of playing the top teams if they are in the second division? It would certainly make warm-up games more competitive.

At the moment, the West Indies are not penalised for being so poor. The administrators in the Caribbean, who have managed the sport so badly for decades, are not punished in any way. Relegation would bring an element of shame, force them to address the issues that are holding West Indies cricket back.

Some of the petty arguments that have caused splits between board and players might have been averted if there was more at stake. I know a lot of the senior players do not want to play Test cricket at the moment, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul was cleared out because he was too old, even though they are crying out for someone like him to teach the young kids how to play the game.

Instead, he is over here scoring runs for Lancashire while young West Indian batsmen line up to be shot down by James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Darren Bravo was dropped because of a tweet he sent criticising the chairman of West Indies cricket. Surely, something as petty as that would be sorted out if the dropping of a player of his standard could mean relegation in Test cricket.

If there is a chance of promotion or relegation every two years, it would force boards to keep their houses in order.

The ICC has to help the West Indies unless there is change over the next couple of years. We have to help save this great cricket team. The game needs them. There are only 10 Test-playing nations, with Ireland and Afghanistan to be added soon. Cricket cannot afford to lose West Indies, so the ICC needs to help them with the structure. At the moment, it is years behind.

They need the right, qualified coaches teaching the kids to play the game, better pitches, better practice facilities and talent identification to make sure we are giving them a realistic chance.

They won the Under-19s World Cup last year. The talent is there but at the moment it is being squandered. There is a chance West Indies will not qualify for the 2019 World Cup. It is their fault for not playing well enough, but we just cannot allow them to wither and die.