A hundred years ago there were only three teams who played Test cricket. If the current Big Three nations and the ICC continue to ignore the plight of the other countries, history could repeat sooner than we think. Well, not quite. The other nations are unlikely to pull the pin from the red-ball format altogether but they’ll be little more than window dressing in the background as the Ashes and Border-Gavaskar Trophy series hog the limelight. More needs to be done to promote the other nine Test-playing nations to incentivize them to continue to be just that. Pakistan and the West Indies are touring Australia this summer and it’s testament to Test cricket’s enduring appeal in this country that there will still be a decent level of interest in the on-field action. The touring teams can’t be relied upon to create much to engage the fan base. Pakistan is down four of their frontline bowlers and are unlikely to end their winless drought in Australia which stretches back to 1995. The Windies last tasted victory on these shores on the back of the star trio of Brian Lara hitting a hundred and Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose taking five-wicket hauls in Perth in 1997. The accusation has been leveled at India that they don’t love cricket but they love Indian cricket. In Australia, the same theory rings true. It’s hard to sell a lemon, and it’s probably fiscally sound for CA not to invest too many dollars into promoting Pakistan or the Windies this summer when they are unlikely to bring too many fans through the turnstiles apart from diehard expats. However, CA has made a step in the right direction by bumping up their 2026-27 home series against New Zealand from a three to a four-Test contest. The Black Caps could and should have a rivalry with the Kiwis. As part of the current Future Tours Programme, Australia are due to host Bangladesh in 2026 for the first two Tests in the country since 2003. If the ICC truly cares about Test cricket, it needs to do much more than just institute a World Championship final every couple of years which will probably be dominated by the major nations. Financial subsidies need to be offered to the poorer nations to ensure they aren’t losing money purely when they host Test matches. Otherwise, T20s will continue to take over the already crowded schedule and Test cricket will keep dying a death by a thousand cuts.