'A disaster in every sense'

Test cricket's newest nations are in despair at plans to split the format into two divisions, fearing it could undo decades of hard-fought progress on the field and kill interest in the game.

Cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) is meeting in Edinburgh this week to debate proposals for the seven top-ranked teams to establish a de facto premier league in a bid to boost waning interest in Tests.

Under the scheme being considered by the ICC, the other three countries with Test status would join a five-strong second division along with Afghanistan and Ireland.

As things stand, the two latest arrivals at cricket's top table -- Bangladesh and Zimbabwe -- will be doomed to the second tier and could be joined by another relative newcomer Sri Lanka.

Alistair Campbell, a former director of Zimbabwe's board, appreciated the arguments for a split because of the gulf in class between the top and bottom sides.

But Campbell said it would be heartbreaking if current players would never be able to compete against the best.

"It's going to be a tragedy if you are growing up in a country like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh," he told AFP.

"It means you might never get the opportunity to play with top tier sides. That might drive players to go and seek greener pastures."

There are similar fears in Sri Lanka, currently ranked seventh and in danger of being overtaken by an improving West Indies by the time the proposed split comes into force.

Sidath Wettimuny, who scored Sri Lanka's first Test century, warned the architects of the split were playing with fire.

"It's okay to make some tweaks but what is proposed is going to be a disaster in every sense of the word," he said.

Sri Lanka's cash-strapped board is hugely dependent on TV money and ticket revenue from tours by the likes of India and Australia.

But neither broadcasters nor spectators will pay significant amounts for matches involving minnows such as Ireland.

"If you club the weakest teams in one league, who'll be interested in watching those games? This will lead to financial ruin," Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera told AFP.

Earlier in the week in Dhaka, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) directors also expressed consternation about the proposed Test divisions.

"This will spell the death of international cricket as we've known it," said BCB director Ahmed Sazzadul Alam.

BCB vice president Mahbubul Anam warned Bangladesh "would go backwards" if they stop playing teams such as England and India, both of whom they are due to play later this year.

"The resulting downturn in revenues would undermine development programmes and funding of domestic leagues.

"It will effectively mean the end of cricket for countries like us."