ICC confirms schedule of events from 2024-2031; Men's Champions Trophy to be re-introduced

[MenInG]

The ICC Board today confirmed the schedule of ICC events from 2024- 2031 with both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be expanded and a Men’s Champions Trophy to be re-introduced.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will become a 14 team, 54 match event in 2027 and 2031, whilst the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be expanded to a 20 team, 55 match event in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030. An eight team Champions Trophy will be hosted in 2025 and 2029. ICC World Test Championship Finals will be hosted in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031. The ICC Women’s event schedule has already been confirmed with the expansion of both the Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup forming part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to growing the women’s game.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup format will have two groups of seven, with the top three in each group progressing to a Super Six stage, followed by semi-finals and final. This is the same format that was used in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2003. The format of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will consist of four groups of five, with the top two from each group going through to a Super Eights stage, followed by the knockout stages of semi-finals and a final. The Champions Trophy will follow previous editions with two groups of four, semi-finals and final.



The ICC Board also approved the process for determining the hosts for all Men’s, Women’s and U19 events in the next cycle. The hosts for the Men’s events will be decided in September following a selection process that will get underway this month. The hosting process for Women’s and U19 events will commence in November and will be an opportunity to engage with a wider range of Members including first-time hosts.

The ICC Board has requested management focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East. A final decision on the host country will be taken later this month. The Board also confirmed that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played.

ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Having the ICC event schedule confirmed through to 2031 is a significant step forward for cricket and will form the basis of our growth strategy for the next decade.

“The revised approach to selecting hosts for our events will give us much more flexibility to grow the game and engage new fans. There is a smaller pool of countries with the infrastructure needed to host our senior Men’s events which narrows the selection process. Additionally, many of our Members expressed interest in hosting Women’s and U19 events which gives us a great opportunity to stage events in established and emerging cricket nations.”

 

[Ab Fan]

Great stuff.

As a test purist, looking forward to world tournament events in odd years.

 

[King_Kohli]

Great.
World Test Championship will be continue.

 

[King_Kohli]

THE ICC EVENTS - YEAR-WISE (MEN)

2024: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2025: Champions Trophy - 8 teams and 15 games

2025: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

2026: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2027: ODI World Cup - 14 teams and 54 games

2027: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

2028: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2029: Champions Trophy - 8 teams and 15 games

2030: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2031: ODI World Cup - 14 teams and 54 games

2031: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

 

[Saj]

The Champions Trophy survives after the ICC initially wanted to end it.

Without wanting to sound biased, the last Champions Trophy was a brilliant tournament with lots of interest and great crowds. Absolutely right that they have decided to keep it going.

 

[King_Kohli]

There should be T20 Champions Trophy as well.

 

[Ab Fan]

There is no sight better than watching two top teams play at a neutral venue in a World Test Championship finals.

Why I say so is because these days, everyone is a beast at home but poor away. So, a final between India and New Zealand in England conditions or say, between England and Australia in Indian conditions is really a great addition.

Imagine England and Australia going one-on one against each other on a true rank turner in India in a WTC final.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Great decision to bring back 14 teams WC and 20 teams in T20 WC.

 

[Rana]

Is there anything for Pakistan to look forward to as hosts?

 

[moghul]

Many good steps but diluting the world cup by including some very weak teams and making it 14 team WC , not good .

 

[shujaatraza]

Many good steps but diluting the world cup by including some very weak teams and making it 14 team WC , not good .

Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Nepal and Netherlands will most probably be in top 14 after you take out the top 8 so not bad pool of cricket teams there

 

[Last Monetarist]

Think the only way the ICC could justify bringing back the Champions Trophy was to expand the 50-over World Cup. It's absolutely the right decision, the long-term future of the game will be secure if associate cricket is strong.

The 10-team world cup was a squalid travesty and a slap in the face for all associate members.

 

[ahmedzee]

T20 World Cup every 2 years. They should do that every 4. Funny enough, last T20 cup was in India, 5 years ago, and now we have India as host again. There needs to be a clarity in who hosts, and how often such a tournament should be.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Is there anything for Pakistan to look forward to as hosts?

They should get something to host.

But will Australia England NZ travel to Pakistan?

Will India be allowed to participate?

If England Australia NZ agree to travel, then Pakistan should be allowed to host.

Regarding, India, if they cant travel, they should be exempted from participating. And it should not be a hindrance in pakistan hosting a event.

 

[Markhor]

Good to see the ICC's inexcusable decision to limit the ODI WC to 10 teams has been reversed.

However not a fan of the return of Super Sixes.

 

[AMSS]

The fetish to expand the game will suck the joy out of it. Cricket doesn't have to be football.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Good to see the ICC's inexcusable decision to limit the ODI WC to 10 teams has been reversed.

However not a fan of the return of Super Sixes.

I'd have preferred the quarter-final format, but that has detractors as well due to the (relative) lack of jeopardy during the group stages. However, I'd rather the return of the super sixes than the dreary monotony of a closed-shop.

We still fondly remember Kenya 96 & 03, Ireland (not so much for Pakistanis) in 07 and 2011, and Afghanistan in 2015. To see associates have the opportunity to upset established full-members is an important part of the charm of the World Cup, not to mention the extra funding for growing the game in those countries due to participation in the tournament.

It was an utterly short-sighted and masochistic decision to curtail the number of teams that could participate in the World Cup. Those that are too narrow-minded to enjoy associate cricket can have the Champions Trophy.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Good stuff, finally some competent decisions being made by the ICC. If they truly want the ODI game to become as entertaining as it was, they'll look into the rule of two new balls and perhaps some leniency on the bowling actions of spinners, but that's another story.

The Champions Trophy is a good inclusion, it's a short tournament which forces the best out of teams. It should be hosted somewhere like West Indies or Sri Lanka.

The World Test Championship is a good sight, but I hope that this concept of a neutral venue also changes soon, because I don't think all cricket should be played in England. There are other places where the final can take place, places which do require some assistance from the ICC, such as the West Indies for example.

Hopefully we can see some entertaining cricket and a lot of different teams dominating, that's the best result for world cricket, if a lot of teams are being competitive.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Quarter-final is a much better format tbh. It adds to the excitement of the tournament.

 

[ChTab]

Finally, a confirmation that WTC will continue.

 

[Slim]

Good stuff from the ICC and i hope they focus on developing cricket in associate nations by giving them funds.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

The World Cup changes are overall fantastic but not without flaw.

The t20 changes are genuinely perfect. Four groups of four is fantastic, quick, every game matters, 20 teams provides great expansion and a boost for so many nations. Legitimately fantastic moves these and worth applauding. The Super 8 part however could drag a hell of a long time.

The ODI WC expansion is also great, ten teams was also a farce, so 14 is a very good step. The Super Six though again, not a fan at all, can drag things out needlessly long, and the tournament itself remains an obscenely long neverending affair. Still, thrilled with the progress.

All in all excellent steps, some tweaking needed. Absolutely hate the CT but if its existence is a necessary evil to expand the world cups then fair enough.

Just hope the Super League is remaining, as its been the best development in years imo. Also need to revive the Intercontinental Cup, its absence is very sorely felt.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

CT is obsolete. Should be scrapped.

 

[deep82]

THE ICC EVENTS - YEAR-WISE (MEN)

2024: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2025: Champions Trophy - 8 teams and 15 games

2025: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

2026: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2027: ODI World Cup - 14 teams and 54 games

2027: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

2028: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2029: Champions Trophy - 8 teams and 15 games

2030: T20 World Cup - 20 teams and 55 games

2031: ODI World Cup - 14 teams and 54 games

2031: World Test Championship final - 2 teams and 1 game

You missed the WTC Final in 2029 in the list.

Overall, there are 12 ICC tournaments to look forward in 2024-31
4 T20 WC
4 WTC Final
2 ODI WC
2 ODI CT

 

[liam26]

Champions trophy should have been scrapped, absolutely useless tournament with no importance.

Expansion of T20 WC to 20 teams has been a great step, it will provide more opportunities for the associate Nations to rub shoulders with the Big Boys. Also organizing T20 WC every two years is perfect timeframe for a short and exciting tournament.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Not a fan of including more teams at the 50 over World Cup. Same fans complain that there were no tight contests at World Cups because they barely remember what minnows did. 50 over World Cups need the 2019 format and you simply cant have that format with so many teams. The only real upside of the 2019 World Cup was that it saw the best 4 teams qualify and we had all the top teams play each other. Even then, Afghanistan was absolutely useless despite having favourable pitches. Only 9 teams should play the World cup imo. Top 6 teams (apart from host) should directly qualify and the bottom 2 should battle it out with minnows in a tournament in the same country where the World Cup is to be hosted and the top 2 teams shouls qualify as the 8th and 9th teams as well. That way we can a short but intense World Cup with 39 matches and reserve days as well.

Expansion of the game will only happen with T20's .

 

[Executioner]

A lot of great changes overall but I have a beef with the Champions Trophy. What purpose does it serve? When you already have and ODI WC, a Champions Trophy becomes somewhat irrelevant. Its like a mini-wc but only including a smaller pool of teams. IMO, too many ICC events - WTC, WT20, CWC, CT will reduce the intensity of each event.

 

[AMSS]

Expansion of the game is the ruse to have more matches and competitions so that the broadcast rights are sold...BIGLY. Nobody with an ounce of grey matter believes the game will truly expand.

 

[KyoOne]

Wasn't expecting most of these changes tbh. Wasn't the Kiwi, Greg Barclay backed by the big 3 for chairman so that there should be 6 instead of 8 ICC LOI events? And wasn't CEO Manu Sawhney sent on forced leave partly because he was of school of thought that 8 LOI events should be held?

Expansion of World Cups is also undoing one of Big 3 decisions taken in 2015.

Interestingly, UAE + one other Middle East nation will host the T20 WC this year. Not sure if Qatar/Oman have decent stadiums? Oman though has a decent T20 team for an associate nation, might have several stadiums which could be upgraded to international standard.

 

[Last Monetarist]

The World Test Championship is a good sight, but I hope that this concept of a neutral venue also changes soon, because I don't think all cricket should be played in England. There are other places where the final can take place, places which do require some assistance from the ICC, such as the West Indies for example.

I agree that the host of the WTC final should rotate and England shouldn't be considered de facto host. The initial rationale behind the decision to host it in England was down to the idea that crowds for a test match between two neutral countries can only be guaranteed in the UK. However, the coronavirus has made that a moot point for this edition.

In the future, the final should be rotated at venues such as the Kensington Oval, MCG, Newlands, Eden Gardens, or even Lahore.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Wasn't expecting most of these changes tbh. Wasn't the Kiwi, Greg Barclay backed by the big 3 for chairman so that there should be 6 instead of 8 ICC LOI events? And wasn't CEO Manu Sawhney sent on forced leave partly because he was of school of thought that 8 LOI events should be held?

Expansion of World Cups is also undoing one of Big 3 decisions taken in 2015.

That was pre-pandemic politics, most boards (including the big 3) would now be thankful of increased distributions from the ICC due to extra events in the cycle. The boards have realized the need to support each other in the wake of the crisis.

 

[Last Monetarist]

That was pre-pandemic politics, most boards (including the big 3) would now be thankful of increased distributions from the ICC due to extra events in the cycle. The boards have realized the need to support each other in the wake of the crisis.

Need to clarify that it seems the BCCI and the other boards have changed views on this over the last 6 months due to the fragility of bilateral cricket. Perhaps, the decision, if the meeting was held prior to the crisis in India, might have been different.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I agree that the host of the WTC final should rotate and England shouldn't be considered de facto host. The initial rationale behind the decision to host it in England was down to the idea that crowds for a test match between two neutral countries can only be guaranteed in the UK. However, the coronavirus has made that a moot point for this edition.

In the future, the final should be rotated at venues such as the Kensington Oval, MCG, Newlands, Eden Gardens, or even Lahore.

They should have a group of venues around the world, and the final should be cycled there.

1 venue per country.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Good to see Champions Trophy back. Like that tournament. But it should go back to its knock out nature..
1 loss and you are out.
That was its USP and it made it unique as compared to other tournaments.

 

[OMB]

I agree that the host of the WTC final should rotate and England shouldn't be considered de facto host. The initial rationale behind the decision to host it in England was down to the idea that crowds for a test match between two neutral countries can only be guaranteed in the UK. However, the coronavirus has made that a moot point for this edition.

In the future, the final should be rotated at venues such as the Kensington Oval, MCG, Newlands, Eden Gardens, or even Lahore.

or use the home and away - runs scored, wickets taken, NRR - aggregate concept

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Dreams of those who wanted ODI format to die are once again shattered. Well done ICC. Good to see Champions Trophy back.

 

[Devadwal]

I want best of three in final of WTC . One final is not fare when entire tournaments is based on series .

 

[Zeshan547]

I want best of three in final of WTC . One final is not fare when entire tournaments is based on series .

Yes plus the current format of WTC does not guarantee even playing feild for all teams, you must play four home series and four away series vs other eight opponents, then can alternate it in next season. Indo pak can happen in UAE or any other neutral venue, if india still refuse then they must forfeit points. Same rule for all teams. plus all series must be of 3 matches, if any board want 4 or 5 test like Ashes then only first three test result should matter for WTC. only then we can have fair winner.

 

[street cricketer]

Chuffed at the news of WTC being persisted with. I was afraid they were going to ditch the idea. Also good to see the World cups being expanded to include more teams. Now if only they could include cricket in the Olympics, cricket will truly take the next step to becoming a global game.

Not sure what's the point of a champions trophy though. You have a marquee event for each format - WTC for Test cricket, ODI World cup for 50 overs cricket and T20 WC for T20 cricket. Not sure what purpose would including an extra event in Champions trophy for 50 overs cricket would serve other than it being the Europa League to the World cup being the Champions League.

 

[sam_ahm]

Some really good decisions made there, I'm very happy with this, except perhaps some relegation / promotion in test championships.

14 team World Cup is the best and much needed move.

 

[Hasan123]

Good move by the ICC.

 

[MenInG]

It’s perhaps an irony that the decision by the International Cricket Council to curtail the ODI World Cup to just 10 teams was taken soon after the conclusion of the 2011 World Cup in India, an event that handed Ireland one of its greatest victories - against England in Bengaluru.

The decision meant it became more difficult for teams not part of the elite group to participate. Warren Deutrom, CEO, Cricket Ireland, was pleased after the ICC finally decided to expand the World Cup to make it more global; 14 teams will now participate from 2027 onwards.

“We’re delighted at the decision to restore the event to 14 teams,” Deutrom told Sportstar.

“It is something that Ireland has led on among the [ICC] members, and we believe that the decision to ensure that the Associate world has the opportunity to participate at the sport’s premier showcase is absolutely right for the long-term health of the game, and the ODI format as a whole,” he said.

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Some of Ireland’s best moments in cricket have come in World Cups. Deutrom, in office since December 2006, oversaw the team’s progress to the Super Eight at the expense of Pakistan in 2007, the defeat of England in 2011, and spirited performance in 2015. It had to come through a rigorous selection process – via the 2018 World Cup Qualifier - to make it to the 2019 World Cup, but narrowly lost out to Afghanistan.

“For us, the World Cup holds a special place as the vehicle for putting Irish cricket on the map and helped enormously drive the growing popularity of the sport on our shores. Of course, we’re not guaranteed to participate in future, but the realistic opportunity to do so will surely play a part in inspiring young Irish players to take up the sport and emulate the heroes of 2007, 2011 and 2015,” Deutrom said.

Between these marquee events, though, regular fixtures against top international teams and better funding, among other things, are required to ensure a steady climb. Many full-member nations continue to struggle financially and are more vulnerable during crises like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Deutrom outlined ways by which the ICC could support the less wealthy nations.

“The mechanisms to do this are both direct and indirect. Indirectly would include the broader playing opportunities for members to participate on the world stage in men’s and women’s cricket, which in turn help unlock commercial and Government support back home – we are a recent good example of that in the last 10-15 years. Elsewhere, ICC and the members made some excellent decisions in recent years to ensure that the objective to promote context in international competition was supported by the World Cup Super League, and World Test Championship, which provided certainty of scheduling to members to develop domestic commercial sustainability.”

A better distribution of ICC’s revenue is one of the more direct ways to extend support, felt Deutrom.

“ICC has set up a Member Support Fund to which members can apply to defray additional costs and restore revenue lost during the pandemic, while a number of members will be advocating strongly that it is important to revisit the ICC member distribution to ensure that members can be more competitive on the world stage. We believe there’s an appreciation of this argument and we remain hopeful that the current distribution might be revisited when it’s next considered,” he said.

What were some of the benefits accrued to Ireland since it was made a full member in 2017?

“There are numerous benefits, including being in the Future Tours Programme with more matches against the major nations, ability to negotiate our first-ever multi-year broadcast agreement, and better support from Government (including funding support towards our first contracts for women cricketers). We have also completed Stage 1 of a new High-Performance Centre,” Deutrom replied.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...arren-deutrom-full-member/article34743162.ece

 

[MenInG]

The second edition of the ICC World Test Championship begins this week with the highly anticipated five-match series between England and India.

A quick guide covering everything you need to know.

WHAT IS THE WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP?

A nine-team global tournament, the WTC is a two-year competition that sees an undisputed World Test champion crowned at the end of a league campaign and a showpiece decider.

The format of the second edition is the same as the original – though the point system has changed – with each team playing three home and three away series to determine the qualifiers for the WTC Final.

The date and location of the Final will be announced at a later date.

HOW MANY TEAMS AND WHO ARE THEY?

There are nine teams in the competition: the defending champions New Zealand, India, Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

REVAMPED POINTS SYSTEM

The old system

The points system for the inaugural WTC has been overhauled for the second edition.

In the 2019-2021 cycle, every Test series was worth 120 points, with those points divided equally across the matches. Essentially, a team would gain 24 points for winning a Test in a five-match series compared to 60 points for winning a Test in a two-match series.

With all teams playing the same amount of series, it was originally planned for the two teams that collected the most points at the end of the cycle to progress to the final.

With the COVID pandemic causing major changes to the Test programme, it was decided that the percentage of available points collected would determine the standings.

The new system

In 2021-23, the percentage of available points collected will once again determine the standings but the amount of points available per Test has been made uniform.

No matter the length of the series, each Test will now see 12 points awarded for a win, four for a draw and six for a tie. Hence, a five-Test series will have a total of 60 points available and a two-Test series a maximum of 24.

As became the case in the previous edition of WTC, the standings will be determined on the percentage of available points collected.

This system allows the relative performance of teams to be compared at any point in time, meaning the cancellation of any matches or series for any reason does not directly impact the points table.

It will also standardise the imbalance in the number of matches played by teams.

HOW MANY SERIES

While the teams may not play the same amount of matches in the WTC cycle, each team will play six WTC series - three at home and three away.

The series each team will play are outlined below.

 

[AMSS]

Here's a prediction. This FTP is unlikely to be followed through. Boards will renege on the commitments made, most likely BCCI, CA and ECB and perhaps a few others too acting in concert with the Evil 3.

I can in fact see the ICC as an organization unravel if it stays rigid in its ways in the face of new economic realities.

 

[shaz619]

Good to see the CT back it’s so much fun

 

[shamaan]

All Pakistan games are winnable