ICC ready to back WTC four-day Tests in boost for smaller nations
The International Cricket Council is ready to sanction four-day Tests in the World Test Championship to help smaller nations to play more games and longer series.In the next WTC cycle, which begins with Sri Lanka hosting Bangladesh in a two-Test series on Tuesday, only five-day Tests are permitted by the ICC which has led to an emphasis on truncated series.Of the 27 Test series to be played among the nine countries contesting the 2025-27 WTC, 17 will feature just two matches, there will be six three‑match series and England, Australia and India will all play one five-match Test series against each other.During discussions last week at the WTC final at Lord’s, the ICC chair, Jay Shah, is understood to have expressed his support for four‑day Tests, with a view to sanctioning them in time for the 2027‑29 WTC cycle.England, Australia and India would still be permitted to schedule five-Test series of five‑day matches for the Ashes, the Border‑Gavaskar Trophy and the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the first iteration of which begins with the first Test between England and India at Headingley on Friday.
The ICC first sanctioned four-day Tests for bilateral contests in 2017, with England playing Zimbabwe over four days at Trent Bridge last month after four-day Tests against Ireland in 2019 and 2023, although introducing them for the WTC would be a significant change and could lead to longer series.Many smaller nations are reluctant to host Tests due to the time they take out of the schedule and the cost, but a move to four-day cricket would enable an entire three-Test series to be played in less than three weeks.In four-day Tests the playing hours are extended to mandate a minimum of 98 overs per day rather than 90 overs to mitigate the time lost.South Africa’s threadbare itinerary despite being crowned world champions in the thrilling final against Australia at Lord’s last week has further highlighted the issue, and focused minds on the need for change.Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionTemba Bavuma’s squad travel to India for a two-Test series in November but will not play a Test at home until October 2026.
Speaking out on Gaza: Australian creatives and arts organisations struggle to reconcile competing pressures
As cultural institutions respond to political statements on the war, many artists say they face a choice between career opportunities and standing up for their beliefsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhen Michelle de Kretser accepted the 2025 Stella prize on 23 May, the celebrated author shared a warning.“All the time I was writing these words, a voice in my head whispered, ‘You will be punished. You will be smeared with labels as potent and ugly as they’re false,’” De Kretser told the Sydney writers’ festival crowd. “‘Career own goal,’ warned the voice.”Earlier in her prerecorded speech, De Kretser had denounced what she called a “program of suppression” against creatives, scholars and journalists for “expressing anti-genocide views” in relation to Israel and Gaza
Adam Hills: ‘I knew I should have gone to the King’s birthday but I really wanted to go to rugby training’
Is it true that you turned down an invite to King Charles’s 70th birthday so you could go to rugby training?Yes, that’s 100% true. To be honest, I knew I should have gone to the birthday but I really wanted to go to rugby training. This is ridiculous, but I’d been to Buckingham Palace a couple of times before and I’m at a stage in my life where I thought: “Actually, I’d much rather go to rugby training.” I had started playing disability rugby league and I became quite addicted to it. Training was my favourite part, just hanging out with a bunch of mates playing footy
Andrew Lloyd Webber is ‘hot again’ –with help from new kids on musicals block
When Andrew Lloyd Webber walked on stage to collect the Tony award for best musical revival for Sunset Boulevard, it was the first time in 30 years he had been recognised by the American Theatre Wing.The Jamie Lloyd-directed revival was the star of the show at American theatre’s big night last Sunday with its three wins signifying a return to prominence for the veteran composer.But this wasn’t just about one hit show starring a former Pussycat Doll.Look around theatreland on either side of the Atlantic and Lord Lloyd-Webber’s fingerprints are everywhere: a successful revival of Starlight Express (in the unlikely environs of Wembley); a forthcoming outing for Jesus Christ Superstar; Jamie Lloyd is directing Evita (starring Rachel Zegler) in London, there is a new musical called The Illusionist in the works, and cryptic messages announcing the return of Phantom of the Opera have sprung up around New York.Arguably, we have reached peak Lloyd Webber five decades after his work was first performed on stage
How to Train Your Dragon to Neil Young: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
How to Train Your DragonOut now This live-action remake was shot by Bill Pope, the cinematographer behind films as diverse as Clueless, The Matrix and Spider-Man 3, with puppets used on set to give the actors something to work with before painting in the CGI. Starring Mason Thames, Gerard Butler and Nick Frost.Film on Film WeekendBFI Southbank, London, 14 & 15 JuneA whole weekend of films screening exclusively from actual physical prints? Sign us up. Physical film in a digital world is a use-it-or-lose-it kind of treasure, so to see the likes of Star Wars screened from prints, vote with your wallet and get down to the BFI.LollipopOut now Daisy-May Hudson based this portrait of a woman trying to regain custody of her kids on her own experiences of the social care system, with Posy Sterling giving a barnstorming performance as a woman who can’t get a bigger flat because she doesn’t have her children with her, and can’t get her kids back because her flat is too small
British Library to reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader card 130 years after it was revoked
The British Library is to symbolically reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader pass, 130 years after its trustees cancelled it following his conviction for gross indecency.A contemporary pass bearing the name of the Irish author and playwright will be officially presented to his grandson, Merlin Holland, at an event in October, it will be announced on Sunday.Rupert Everett, who wrote, directed and starred as Wilde in The Happy Prince – the acclaimed 2018 film about the writer’s tragic final years in exile – will play a part in the ceremony.Holland is an expert on Wilde whose publications include The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde. Asked how his grandfather might have reacted to the pass being reinstated, he said: “He’d probably say ‘about time too’
The Guide #195: How Reddit made nerds of us all
It only ended a few years ago, but Westworld already feels a bit of a TV footnote. A pricey mid-2010s remake of a 70s Yul Brynner movie few people remembered, HBO’s robot cowboy drama lumbered on for four lukewarm seasons before getting cancelled – with few people really noticing.Still, when it premiered, Westworld was big news. Here was a show well-placed to do a Game of Thrones, only for sci-fi. Its high production values were married to an eye-catching cast (Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright) and it was run by the crack team of Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who promised they had a playbook for how the whole show would shake out
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