Australia’s resounding first Test victory over Pakistan highlighted the increasingly significant gap between cricket’s three dominant powers and the other countries. The dominance of Australia, India, and England extends beyond Test to all three cricket formats and in both men’s and women’s cricket. From the moment Pat Cummins decided to bat in Perth, the outcome seemed predestined due to the historical dominance of Australian teams over Pakistan. The West Indies and South Africa have faced similar challenges in touring Australia, and South Africa is now planning to send a weakened Test team to New Zealand in favor of their star players’ availability for the South African T20 league.
While New Zealand won the World Test Championship two years ago, their aging core players raise doubts about their ability to consistently challenge the top trio. Despite their potential, Pakistan continues to struggle due to internal turmoil and external conflicts. Other nations such as Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Ireland, and Afghanistan are either regressing, struggling for consistency, or still learning the ropes of Test cricket.
In the longer formats, the domination of Australia, India, and England is equally evident in the ODI World Cup and T20 cricket. While T20 is considered a level playing field, the Big Three have maintained their stronghold in this format as well. The future of international cricket faces challenges as the governing boards focus on bilateral series and the financial disparity grows, making it difficult for other nations to compete with the top three.
Despite the attempts to expand the game to more nations, international cricket’s viability is at risk if the majority of the resources and talent are concentrated within just three countries. The unexpected underdog victories that have added excitement to the sport will diminish if international cricket does not address its growing imbalance.