The players union has warned that cricketers are “traditionalists” and unlikely to support four-day Test cricket as the game’s governing body meets this week to finally give the go ahead for a World Test championship.

The International Cricket Council meets from Wednesday until Friday in Auckland and is expected to announce separate league structures for Test and 50-over cricket after years of discussions and failed attempts to introduce change.

Telegraph Sport revealed last month the England & Wales Cricket Board’s support for four-day Test matches and there will be discussions around the format this week. Officially the ECB says its stance on four-day cricket remains neutral until proper plans are put on the table but behind the scenes influential figures at the board support a reduction from five-day to four-day Tests to help with scheduling.

A four-day championship will not happen at this stage but one-off matches to experiment with the format, a little like floodlit Tests, are expected with the first game to take place in South Africa on Boxing Day when South Africa play Zimbabwe.

But Tony Irish, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (Fica), has warned his players remain sceptical about the need for four-day Tests.