New Delhi: In a bid to revive the faltering fortunes of Test cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly planning a league with promotion and relegation system.


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Cricket's traditional format is heading towards an irrelevant end in modern day context, with matches becoming one sided affairs and results coming inside couple of days.


"Hopefully we can make a decision by the end of the year over what structure to implement," a report in BCC quoted ICC chief executive Dave Richardson as saying.


"If you want to create a real champion Test team, you need a competition that provides the same number of opportunities," he told.


"That means the same number of fixtures, home and away, so that at the end of a league period you can crown a champion team.


"Realistically, with tours and broadcast agreements in place, we're perhaps looking at 2019 for it to begin."


Without a tournament like World Cup, which allows eligible teams to compete for the top prize, Test cricket rely on the ICC rankings to decide the best team.


"It will be quite difficult. Everyone wants to play Test cricket so we need to find a structure that caters to that. That could mean two groups or two divisions," he admitted.