International Cricket Council president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is the driving force behind the event, said the entire tournament would be completed in just two-and-a-half months.

Many experts had felt a Test World Cup would take several months to be completed, but the ICC chief has laid out a plan to complete it in just 52 days in the year when his term ends.

``Test cricket is the real cricket,'' Dalmiya told PTI and emphasised that Test World Cup's success was vital for the survival of the five-day version which had lost out in popularity to one-day matches.

Nine Test playing nations and the top team from associate members will be drawn into two groups and a graded points system -- depending on simple or innings victory, draw or tie -- will be in place. Bonus points are likely to be provided to encourage teams to play positively.

``Test cricket badly needs to be rejuvenated to bring back the crowds and the programme of 20 matches will be over in just 52 days,'' Dalmiya said.

Host countries will provide a choice of two or three centres from which ICC will pick the ideal venue. ``ICC will oversee pitch preparations, to ensure that conditions do not give undue advantage to the hosts,'' he said.

As a `pilot project', an Asian Test Championship is proposed to be held next year. ICC could have organised the World Cup much in advance but all full members had already finalised their programmes till well into 1999, which includes the one-day World Cup in England next summer.

Dalmiya said there were also plans to expand the ICC Trophy tournament and steadily work to expand the number of countries under the ICC umbrella by doubling the number of associate members from the present 25.

On ICC's plans for globalisation, he said launching of a `cricket week' with strong television and internet support and development schemes to raise the standard of associate members was among the steps being taken by the world body.

``ICC in the past 90 years of its existence has remained a closed body. This has to change and as many new members as possible should be brought in if the game is to emerge a global sport like football,'' Dalmiya, the first Asian to become ICC chief, said.