MCC believes Test matches should continue to be played over five days

The MCC has said Test matches should continue to be played over five days and not be shortened.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently suggested that Tests be played over four days, starting with the World Test Championship in 2023.

However, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) - the sport's lawmakers - announced on Tuesday that they believe the duration of a Test match should remain five days.

In a statement, the MCC said: "MCC has noted the recent discussion regarding the future of Test cricket and the ICC's desire to debate the introduction of four-day Test cricket to replace the current five-day format in the World Test Championships from 2023.

"The MCC Cricket committee and MCC World Cricket committee have recently discussed the issue and although they can see some benefits that four-day Test cricket could bring, both committees believe that Test cricket should continue to be played over five days."

The issue has received a lot of coverage in recent months with several governing bodies including Cricket Australia and the ECB lending their support to the notion.

The issue will be debated at the ICC's committee meeting in Dubai in March. The committee can recommend four-day Tests become mandatory from 2023 but it would still need to be voted through by the executive committee and the board.