The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to retain the existing nine-team format for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) across the next two cycles (2027–29 and 2029–31), shelving proposals for both a 12-team expansion and a two-tier league structure. Expansion & Two-Tier Proposals Shelved: Ahead of Sunday's all-day ICC Board meeting in Bali on November 15, the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) held heated discussions on Saturday over the future of Test cricket. Despite formal recommendations from an ICC working group led by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose to include all 12 Full Members in a single division—alongside separate debates around a two-tier promotion-relegation system—the board is expected to approve keeping the status quo until 2031. Commercial & Scheduling Hurdles: Unlike the WTC Final (which is centrally run by the ICC and scheduled to remain in England through 2031), league fixtures are arranged bilaterally between member boards. Several boards expressed doubts over whether adding more teams would generate sufficient commercial returns. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly reluctant to expand due to extra overseas travel and potential cuts to its home international calendar, while the positions of the BCCI and Cricket Australia remain unconfirmed. Setback for Excluded Full Members: Retaining the nine-team structure leaves Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe outside the WTC framework for another four years. Representatives of the omitted Full Members warned during the CEC meeting that exclusion continues to stifle their red-ball development. While Zimbabwe—who played 10 Tests in 2025 but only two in 2026—have lobbied hardest for inclusion, they are still expected to host standalone bilateral Tests against South Africa (2027) and England (2028) outside the WTC points table. Broader Strategic Review: Alongside the WTC structure and the upcoming Future Tours Programme (FTP), the ICC Board in Bali will also review findings from a comprehensive strategic assessment of all three international formats conducted by global consulting firm McKinsey. Cricket South Africa was also understood to be strongly supportive of expansion with chief executive Pholetsi Moseki providing a rallying cry during the CEC meeting. The positions of the BCCI and Cricket Australia remain unclear. England have played Zimbabwe and Ireland in one-off Tests in recent years, but the ECB is believed to be reticent over expansion due to travel and financial burdens.