
Champions League T20 set for dramatic 2026 return but ICC could deliver crushing blow to Test cricket's future: Report
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, several influential cricket boards have voiced support for reviving the Champions League T20 (CLT20) during the ICC's ongoing meeting in Singapore. The now-defunct tournament, which ran from 2009 to 2014, had featured top T20 franchises from around the world in a format modelled on UEFA's Champions League.
Though scrapped a decade ago due to financial unviability, most notably after the withdrawal of broadcaster ESPN Star, the rapid commercialisation of T20 leagues globally has created fertile ground for its return.
If finalised, the new tournament version will face a different kind of challenge: deciding the player pool. As franchise owners now span multiple leagues and players are contracted across competitions, the ICC will have to iron out complex eligibility rules. The report also noted that logistical and funding decisions remain pending, although momentum for the tournament's revival is clearly building.
Test cricket facing limitations
In stark contrast to this push for glitz and franchise expansion, Test cricket could soon be subject to a cutback. The same ICC meeting is reportedly exploring a cap on the number of Test-playing nations, which could mark a decisive shift in cricket's priorities.
A working group, including ICC's new chief executive Sanjog Gupta and chaired by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, has been tasked with recommending a roadmap by the end of the year.
Gupta, speaking at Lord's last year during the MCC's World Cricket Connects panel, hinted at the changes to come. 'You have to make hard choices,' he had said.
'There is enough data to suggest what direction the game is going in. If you continue to serve a product that no one wants... the ecosystem around the product will continue to suffer. Blackberry disappeared at some point... it was replaced by another product.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Standard
22 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Root climbs to number three in all-time career Test runs; check full list
The 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England has been a one-of-its-kind series so far, with new records being made in almost every innings. The latest player to enter this list is none other than former England captain Joe Root. Root, who already held the record for being England's highest run-getter in Test cricket—surpassing Alastair Cook earlier this year—has now improved his position in the all-time run-scorers list and is ranked number three. Root started the match at the number five spot with a total of 13,259 runs to his name. He needed 30 runs to surpass former India skipper Rahul Dravid at number four, and 31 runs to go past South African legend Jacques Kallis at number three. On the third day of the fourth Test in Manchester, Root crossed the 31-run mark in the 58th over of England's first innings with a single, taking his tally to 13,290 runs and making him the third-highest run-getter of all time in Test cricket. The Englishman will have the chance to improve his position by at least one more spot in the series itself. With three innings left to play, he needs only 89 more runs to go past former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who has 13,378 career Test runs to his name. However, Root still has a long way to go if he wants to become the all-time highest scorer, as he is still 2,631 runs away from the top spot held by India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has 15,921 Test runs to his name. All-time highest run-getters in Test cricket Rank Player Span Mat Inns Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 1 SR Tendulkar (IND) 1989–2013 200 329 15921 248* 53.78 54.04 51 68 2 RT Ponting (AUS) 1995–2012 168 287 13378 257 51.85 58.72 41 62 3 JE Root (ENG) 2012–2025* 157 286 13290 262 50.84 57.35 37 66 4 JH Kallis (ICC/SA) 1995–2013 166 280 13289 224 55.37 45.97 45 58 5 R Dravid (IND) 1996–2012 164 286 13288 270 52.31 42.51 36 63 6 AN Cook (ENG) 2006–2018 161 291 12472 294 45.35 46.95 33 57 7 KC Sangakkara (SL) 2000–2015 134 233 12400 319 57.4 54.19 38 52 8 BC Lara (WI) 1990–2006 131 232 11953 400* 52.88 60.51 34 48 9 S Chanderpaul (WI) 1994–2015 164 280 11867 203* 51.37 43.31 30 66 10 DPMD Jayawardene (SL) 1997–2014 149 252 11814 374 49.84 51.45 34 50 11 AR Border (AUS) 1978–1994 156 265 11174 205 50.56 41.09 27 63 12 SR Waugh (AUS) 1985–2004 168 260 10927 200 51.06 48.64 32 50 13 SPD Smith (AUS) 2010–2025* 119 212 10477 239 56.02 53.68 36 43 14 SM Gavaskar (IND) 1971–1987 125 214 10122 236* 51.12 43.35 34 45 15 Younis Khan (PAK) 2000–2017 118 213 10099 313 52.05 52.12 34 33 16 HM Amla (SA) 2004–2019 124 215 9282 311* 46.64 49.97 28 41 17 KS Williamson (NZ) 2010–2024 105 186 9276 251 54.88 51.78 33 37 18 GC Smith (SA) 2002–2014 117 205 9265 277 48.25 59.67 27 38 19 V Kohli (IND) 2011–2025* 123 210 9230 254* 46.85 55.57 30 31


Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG Test: Joe Root eclipses Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis for most runs in Test cricket
England batter Joe Root during the series against India. (AP) England batter Joe Root went past legendary cricketers Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid in the list of highest run-scorers in Test cricket history history. Root came into the fourth Test against India with 13,259 runs and went past Dravid's tally of 13,288 runs and then Kallis' 13,289 runs. The former England captain now sits just behind the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs) and Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs). In the process, the England batter jumped from the fifth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket to third. During his stay, Root also became the first to complete 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford. He is the third England batter to collect 1000-plus runs at two different venues. The veteran, who has 2166 runs at Lord's, joins Alastair Cook and Graham Gooch in that milestone. Former Australian cricket captain and ICC Hall of Famer Ponting had spoken about Root's impending milestone ahead of start of play on Day 3. Ponting is the next on the list with 13,379 runs. Joe Root press conference: On India's ball complaints, his stunning catch, Rishabh Pant and more "If he keeps going on like this, that could very well happen today. It's a great day for batting and what a remarkable career it's been for Joe. How he's transformed from someone that couldn't go on past fifty to hundreds. Now it seems like every time he gets to fifty, you just mark him down for a hundred, or a big hundred," Ponting told Sky Sports . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You Won't Believe the Price of These Dubai Apartments Binghatti Developers FZE Get Offer Undo "Just looking at some of the numbers, 37 Test match hundreds, 13000 runs, what an amazing career to-date," Ponting added, highlighting Root's impressive statistics in Test cricket. "There's still a fair bit to go. What is he, 35? Doesn't look like his passion for the game is going anywhere. His run-scoring passion has probably gone up over the years. Can he chase down Sachin? Let's see. He might as well do that," Ponting remarked, referring to Sachin Tendulkar's all-time Test run-scoring record. Most runs in Test cricket Player Matches Inns Runs Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 200 329 15921 Ricky Ponting (AUS) 168 287 13378 Joe Root (ENG) 157 286 13290* Jacques Kallis (ICC/SA) 166 280 13289 Rahul Dravid (ICC/IND) 164 286 13288 Alastair Cook (ENG) 161 291 12472 Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 134 233 12400 Brian Lara (ICC/WI) 131 232 11953 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) 164 280 11867 Mahela Jayawardene (SL) 149 252 11814 For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Joe Root Creates History, Becomes First Player In The World To...
Root, who is England's leading run getter in Test cricket, completes 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford. He is the first batter in the world to score 1000 Test runs in Manchester. Joe Root is arguably England's best batter of all time, and on Friday (July 25), during the third day's play of the ongoing fourth India-England Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, he entered his name in the history books by becoming the first cricketer in the world to score 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford. The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is Root's 12th red-ball match in Manchester. Root needed 22 runs to join the 1000-run club, and he achieved the objective during the 53rd over of England's first innings bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Most Test runs in Manchester Root has one century and seven half-centuries to his name in 12 Test matches played so far at Old Trafford, and the right-handed batter from Yorkshire would like to come up with another big show. If Root, who tops the ICC Test batter's rankings, manages to score at least 31 runs in the first innings, then he will overtake Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis and become third highest run getter in Test cricket. Dravid finished his Test career with 13,288 runs and Kallis amassed a total of 13,289 runs. The overall record of scoring the most runs in Test cricket is in the name of Sachin Tendulkar. The legendary right-handed batter played 200 red-ball matches for India from 1989 to 2013 and scored 15,921 runs. Australia's Ricky Ponting is in 2nd place with 13,378 runs to his credit. Root needs to score at least 120 runs in the Manchester Test to break Ponting's record and become the second leading run getter in the five-day format of the game. Apart from closing the gap with Tendulkar in the list of batters with the most runs in Test cricket, Root will also have the chance to equal Tendulkar's record of scoring the most 50s in Test cricket. Tendulkar finished his career with 68 fifties, whereas Root, who is playing his 157th Test for England these days, has 66 half-centuries to his credit. If Root manages to score a century in the fourth Test, then he will become the first player in the world to score 12 Test centuries against India. view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 16:02 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.