'The ICC needs to spread the wealth more evenly across the board and if we want two tiers to be competitive and we want teams in the second tier to have the chance to go into the first tier, well, they can't do that without no cash.'
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan believes Test cricket is not in danger, if the packed crowds in England at the ongoing five-match Test against England is anything to go by.
However, for the five-day game to thrive outside India, England and Australia, the ICC must distribute the cash between full members more fairly if not equally.
"Test cricket doesn't need saving. Test cricket over the last three years has been the most entertaining. I've been very open that we should make the players bowl the overs on the given day. Don't allow slow play, just 90 overs a day.
"...if we can position the whole of the world playing Test cricket at the same time, we want windows where it's just Test cricket. Like a 50-over World Cup or a Twenty20 World Cup, that's all that's played at that time. Everyone's watching that one format.
"Have two tiers, promotion and relegation, and I think you'll find that Test cricket will be a great spectacle...We have to find a way of making it a more watchable product all over the world, not just in two or three countries."
In the end, he had a message for the ICC.
"The ICC needs to spread the wealth more evenly across the board and if we want two tiers to be competitive and we want teams in the second tier to have the chance to go into the first tier, well, they can't do that without no cash," he pointed out.
"If that doesn't happen and the spread of the cash is as it is now with the top three getting most of the money, we'll have a game that will be them and us (big three)," Vaughan added.
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