At a time when the idea of dividing Test cricket into two tiers is again gathering influential support, the West Indies forthcoming Tests against Zimbabwe take on a special significance.
Michael Vaughan, the former England captain who, like so many others, has moved quickly from player to writer and commentator, has recently pressed the issue once more. It is, he states, a way of staving off the threat of Twenty20s to the 136-year existence of Tests.
Based on the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings, he proposes Australia, England, India, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the top division, and the West Indies in the second along with New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe,