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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is talking about changes in the schedule of international cricket. The apex body is evaluating the possibilities for the global calendar as they are also in talks about multilateral series, creation of continental championships, World Club Championship for T20 franchises, fixed windows for each format and possible changes to ODIs.
There have been discussions among the 12 full members and some talks about the changes will take place at the ICC Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh on Wednesday. It is part of a strategic review that will be managed by consulting firm McKinsey.
ICC will make a new calendar
As the Guardian reports, it is still in development; The apex body is exploring various ideas to secure the long-term future of all three formats of international cricket, Test matches, T20 and ODI. They face the threat posed by franchised leagues around the world.
The global calendar is set for next year, and tournaments including the Cricket World Cup, the World Test Championship (WTC), and series between England, India and Australia are planned until 2031. So any kind of change in the calendar will have to wait till the end of 2031 calendar, because before that, no change is possible.
ICC ready to focus on survival of ODI format
According to sources, the apex body, after doing a lot of work on the WTC, will now turn its focus to the long-term vision to create a structure to allow the three international formats to survive in the contemporary world of the game. Apart from this, they are also planning to change the length of ODI matches.
They are also considering adding more events in their name, as bilateral series that do not involve two of England, India or Australia have limited financial value. However, there are no intentions to add more global tournaments to the current 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; ICC can schedule more international events in its name. They are also considering continental championships as well as a world club championship, such as the biennial Asia Cup hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal.
ICC to introduce new teams in 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 franchised teams between 2009 and 2014, but it ended after six seasons due to limited marketing potential, as it did not reach fans as much as it should have.
England, India and Australia would not accept the ICC taking on the responsibility of running bilateral or multilateral series because they want control over their earnings, but establishing international windows for each format would be more popular. They will also be accepted by the players, as the World Cricket Association called them in a report released last year.
At the upcoming ICC AGM, there has been talk of a possible expansion of the World Test Championship to 12 nations from the 2027-2029 edition, with Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan 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.
