The ICC concluded its annual general meeting in Singapore later this week and took several important decisions during the meeting. One of the several options was that England were selected as the hosts for the three upcoming WTC finals by 2031.
Along with several other decisions, some monumental decisions were made on the inclusion of new members to ICC Associate members. At the same time, she has decided to raise her support for Afghanistan women cricketers with the help of BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia.
India remembers; England gets hosting rights
The BCCI (Control Board for Cricket in India) repeatedly argued to get hosting rights for the ICC World Test Championship Final. He asked for a rotation system or to host the final in countries other than England.
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The ICC has handed over all the three upcoming WTC finals to England in 2027, 2029 and 2031, while on the last three occasions when the WTC finals were held in 2021, 2023 and 2025, England was the host.
The first World Test Championship Final was held in 2021, originally scheduled for Lord, but was being played in Southampton behind the closed doors due to the Kovid -19 epidemic.
This was followed by the WTC finals of 2023, played at the Oval, and finally the 2025 finals, held at Lord’s. As a result of continuous voting from ECB, the ICC believed that it would be the safest bet.
The ECB chief executive welcomed the verdict and praised the English cricket fans for doing so.
Richard Gold said, “To be honored with the next three finals was a will for the passion that fans in this country have to travel here for these games for this valuable format of the game and the will of supporters from all over the world.”
Gold said, “These final hosting is a privilege, and we are ready to work with the ICC to build on the success of previous versions.”
ICC adds two new nations as associate members
Along with major decisions, they have decided to name two more teams as associate members under the ICC. The ICC revealed that Timor-Laste and Zambia have joined as associate members.
It has added to the total membership of the ICC, and now stands at 110, which reflects the slow growth growth of cricket. USA cricket, which has faced serious administrative problems, is also being investigated, and despite no action, they have emphasized that reforms should be done.
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Afghanistan’s women cricketers to get ICC support
Afghanistan’s women’s cricket players, who are now living out after the current rule in Afghanistan, obstruct them to play cricket, received some support from the ICC.
In April, the ICC formed a special group to help these women players, leaving the country and living in other places. The ICC is supported by BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia, as they want to give an opportunity to those who have lost almost everything.
“The program aims to provide structured support through high performance initiatives, domestic sports opportunities and major ICC global programs, including ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England,” said the Global Body for ICC.
