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A special committee has recommended that the matches should be taken off the list of sports reserved for the BBC and ITV - the so-called Crown Jewels.
The working group, under the chairmanship of Lord Gordon, has recommended to the government that the Test cricket rights could be sold to satellite or cable companies, provided highlights and some limited live coverage were available on free-to-air channels.
Terry Blake, marketing director at the England and Wales Cricket Board, welcomed the recommendations.
"We have always looked for balanced broadcast arrangements - we are simply looking for a competitive market place," he said.
But Tim De Lisle, Editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, said the move could damage the development of the sport.
He feared that many young boys would be denied the chance to see cricket if home Tests were shown exclusively on cable or satellite.
"Cricket used to be regarded as a national sport. These days it's very much football that rules the waves all the year round, and I am worried that cricket is being further pushed to the sidelines by this recommendation," he said.
Changes needed
At the moment eight big events - including the FA Cup Final and the Grand National - have to be made available to the BBC and ITV.
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But the government wants changes to this arrangement to allow sports to fully realise their marketing potential, at the same time ensuring the vast majority of the public continues to enjoy TV access to the big events.
Under the new system being recommended, there would be an A list and a B list. The A list of events would continue to be reserved for terrestrial television.
The B list of events could be auctioned to the highest bidder, possibly satellite broadcasters, in deals which involved highlights being screened on terrestrial channels.
If the recommendations are accepted, the following events would receive protection:
Group A (Full Live Coverage Protected)
Group B (Secondary Coverage Protected)
The Culture Secretary Chris Smith will now consider the group's recommendations and will announce his decisions in a few weeks.
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