ICC plan deferred

Fantasy Bob reads with disappointment that the Test championship being considered for 2013 will not take place until 2017.  The competition had been designed to replace the ICC Champions Trophy in order to stimulate greater interest in Test cricket among supporters, apart from the 10 people in Kolkata who have turned up for the India-W Indies match this week.

ICC plans being reconsidered

The proposal was to involve the top four Test nations and culminate in a final at Lords.  The statement from the ICC suggested that a failure to reach agreement with its media partner has caused the deferment.  However freak atmospheric conditions caused FB's electronic monitoring station (aka his mobile) to pick a critical part of the recent discussion in the ICC marketing department which suggested other factors might also have come into play.   Here is a short transcript:

Now gentlemen we've got a problem in 2013

Yes yes 2013 - looks like we'll have to arrange mass celebrations of Tendulkar's 100th century.  Have we ordered the open top buses?

Yes, he's bound to make it by then and that should take up most of the summer.

No, look we have to do something about Test cricket......

[There is giggling]  Why?

......and I suggest we replace the Champions' Trophy with a.......

.......A T20 tournament?

[Applause and cries of 'Can we go for lunch now?']

No, with....

........A T10 tournament?

[Yet more applause]

No - a 5 day match tournament ending at Lords.

So, England and Australia play 5 one day matches and the winner loses to India?

No - you're not getting this - each game would last 5 days.

Ridiculous, whoever thought that would work?  What's wrong with 20 overs?

[There is mumbled agreement]

Anyway it's mad.

Why?

England might win it.

[There is an uncomfortable silence]

England and Lords - you muppets - bloody rain and bloody green tops and bloody swing bowling and no Dravid.

You're right - we can't have India playing at Lords.   

Yes, yes you're right - we can't risk it - we can't have England winning.

We must wait until KP is knackered and Cook is past it. 

........and Jimmy Anderson.

Yes and Jimmy Anderson.........and Swann.

So we need

ODI

Brilliant - they're rubbish at that...........

The atmospherics made the rest of the discussion indistinct but FB understands that the decision was made to carry on with the Champions' Trophy in its 50 over format.