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World Cup 2023-winning Australia National Cricket Team coach Andrew McDonald sought a bigger squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a refreshed format for the tournament, which includes a Super Series round before the group stages and a new Super 7 round before the semi-finals.
Because of the two new phases in the title race, the winner of the upcoming ODI World Cup will have to play a greater number of matches compared to the previous edition. Therefore, the former Australia coach suggested a greater squad size for the team for the upcoming ODI World event in 2027, which will be jointly held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The winner may have to play 15 matches in the 2027 World Cup
In the 2023 edition, the winner had to play 11 matches, including nine group games, a semi-final and a final. In 2027, the winner will have to play at least two more matches than before. And if a lower-ranked team emerged in the final, then they will have to play 15 matches in total.
For the three lower-ranked teams in the tournament, the International Cricket team set a new two-match 'super series' before the fixtures between the top-ranked teams.
Australia has a history of injuries during the ICC events
Whether Australia should go with a larger squad for the title race remains a long-standing debate given their injury concerns during the previous World Cups, including the 2019, 2023, 2022, 2024 and 2026 title races.
"One of the big things from my perspective is if it's going to be your pinnacle event, what do your squad sizes look like?" Andrew McDonald raised the question while talking on SEN radio in Australia on Wednesday.
Andrew McDonald explains why teams need to consider bigger squads for the 2026 World Cup
Andrew McDonald mentioned New Zealand as well as some of their key players, including Kane Williamson's fitness, which is under the scanner. He suggested both Australia and New Zealand consider a bigger squad, unlike a typical 15-member squad, as some of their key players could miss a few matches due to fitness-related issues.
"We had the dilemma of what it looked like having a 15-player squad for the last World Cup, and I think New Zealand were in the same boat where we had a couple of injuries, Travis Head been the most notable one, and I think Kane Williamson and a couple of others for New Zealand, where you end up with sort of 12-13 players to select from early on in your tournament," Andrew McDonald added.
"...and you're trying to carry those other players through the early rounds, and you're not able to play potentially the way that you want to play, or structure up the way that you think you need to, and in particular in countries where you in the north or the south or the east or the west, the conditions change quite significantly," Andrew McDonald continued.
