England chief Giles says Test Championship could lead to change in focus

England director of cricket Ashley Giles says the World Test Championship could lead to a change in England's priorities following their World Cup triumph.

This week's Ashes opener at Edgbaston will be the first Test to count towards a new points table in the format, with 72 matches between the top nine nations taking place over a two-year period before a grand final in 2021.

It is the International Cricket Council's latest attempt to bolster the five-day game, which is still seen as the pinnacle of the sport but suffers from dwindling attendances in many parts of the world.

England are ranked fourth in Test cricket but top the one-day international rankings.

"We've had a focus on the white ball for the last four years and perhaps the time has come to redress that balance," Giles told Sky Sports News.

"It was important that the pendulum didn't swing back to 50-50, it had to swing right back to white-ball cricket, which we'd never done in this country.

"Perhaps that (affected the Test team) but we needed to do it if we were serious about winning the 2019 World Cup, which we've done."
"This country doesn't really struggle with that. Test cricket remains popular and the Ashes is sold out this year. England versus Australia doesn't need any more promotion but around the world it's not that easy."