Table of Contents
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have been talking about changing the schedule of international cricket. The apex body is evaluating possibilities for the global calendar, as they are in talks about multilateral series, creating continental championships, a World Club Championship for T20 franchises, fixed windows for each format, and possible changes in ODIs as well.
There have been discussions among the 12 full members, and some talks about the change will take place at the ICC’s annual general meeting in Edinburgh on Wednesday. This is part of a strategic review that will be managed by the consulting firm McKinsey.
ICC to make a new calendar
As per the reports from the Guardian, it is still in development stages; the apex body is seeking different ideas to secure the long-term future of all three formats of international cricket, which are Test matches, T20s and ODIs. They face the threat posed by franchise leagues across the world.
The global calendar is fixed until next year, and tournaments including the Cricket World Cup, the World Test Championship (WTC), and series featuring England, India, and Australia are planned until 2031. So any kind of changes in the calendar will need to wait until the end of the 2031 calendar, as before that, no changes are possible.
ICC set to focus on the survival of the ODI format
As per the sources, the apex body, after doing a lot of work on WTC, will now shift its focus to a long-term approach to build a structure to allow three international formats to survive in the contemporary world of the game. Apart from that, they are also planning to change the length of ODI matches.
They are also considering adding more events besides their name, as bilateral series that do not include two of England, India, or Australia have limited financial value. However, there are no intentions to add more global tournaments to the present four-year cycle.
These include the 50-over World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and two T20 World Cups in men's and women's cricket; the ICC may schedule more international events to its name. They are also considering a World Club Championship, along with continental championships, such as the biennial Asia Cup contested by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal.
ICC to introduce new teams in the WTC cycle
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa tried to run a T20 Champions League involving franchise teams between 2009 and 2014, but it ended after six seasons due to limited marketing ability, as it did not reach the fans as much as it should have.
England, India, and Australia would not accept the ICC taking responsibility for running bilateral or multilateral series because they seek control of their own earnings, but setting international windows for each format would be more popular. They would also be accepted by the players, since the World Cricketers' Association called for them in a report released last year.
In the upcoming ICC AGM, talks of a potential extension of the World Test Championship to 12 nations from the 2027-2029 edition, with Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan in line to be allowed, but only if one-off Tests are declared eligible for WTC points. The final decision on the WTC format is likely to be released in November.
