International Cricket Council Approves Test Championship, ODI League

The structure of international cricket is set for a major overhaul as the International Cricket Council, on Friday (October 13), agreed-in principle for the Test Championship and One-Day International League on the final day of the governing body’s meeting in Auckland.

Set to begin after the 2019 50-over World Cup, the Test championship will be played by the top nine teams who will be  playing six series – three at home and three away.  The teams will have to play at least a couple of Tests in a series while it can also be extended to as much as five. The top two teams by April 2021 will then battle it out in the championship final in England in June of that year.

On the other hand, the ODI league will be contested by top 13 teams –  the 12 Full Members and the winner of the ICC World Cricket League Championship. The teams will be battling it out to earn direct qualifications for the World Cup. The league will be staged between 2020-21 but will be converted to a three-year cycle after the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, each team will play eight series during that period with each series having more than three matches.

Congratulating the member bodies for reaching the agreement, Shashank Manohar, the ICC chairman, said: “I would like to congratulate our members on reaching this agreement and putting the interests of the development of the game first. Bringing context to bilateral cricket is not a new challenge, but this is the first time a genuine solution has been agreed on.

“This means fans around the world can enjoy international cricket knowing every game counts and in the case of the ODI league, it counts towards qualification to the ICC Cricket World Cup,” he added.

David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said: “This is a significant point in time for ICC members and our collective desire to secure a vibrant future for international bilateral cricket. The approval of both leagues is the conclusion of two years of work from the members who have explored a whole range of options to bring context to every game. The ICC Board decision today means we can now go and finalise a playing schedule for the first edition as well as the points system, hosting arrangements and competition terms.”

The governing body of the game also approved the trial of the four-day Tests matches until the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. However, all the matches of the Test championship will be of five days.

“Our priority was to develop an international cricket structure that gave context and meaning across international cricket and particularly in the Test arena. This has been delivered and every Test in the new League will be a five-day Test format,” Richardson said. “However throughout the discussions about the future of Test cricket it became clear that whilst context is crucial we must also consider alternatives and trial initiatives that may support the future viability of Test cricket.

“The trial is exactly that, a trial, just in the same way day-night Tests and technology have been trialled by members. Four-day Tests will also provide the new Test playing countries with more opportunities to play the longer version of the game against more experienced opponents, which, in turn, will help them to hone their skills and close the gap with the top-nine ranked teams,” he added.