International Cricket Council has announced a significant change in the world cricket after confirming much-awaited Test Championship and One-Day International League system. David Richardson, the ICC CEO, confirmed this news after ICC’s meeting in Auckland on Friday.
David Richardson 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 finalize a playing schedule for the first edition as well as the points system, hosting arrangements and competition terms.”
The Test Championship contains nine teams, who have to play six Test series – three each at home and away. The championship will take place post-2019 World Cup. Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland will not be included in the championship, where teams will be required to play from two to five Test matches in a series.
Shashank Manohar, 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.”
The ODI league structure will be followed for the World Cup 2023 and we will witness it after World Cup 2019. In the two year cycle, 2020-2021, 13 teams will take part, 12 full members and the winner of ICC World Cricket League Championship. Every team will have to play eight ODI series – four at home and four away – of minimum three matches. The first ODI league will first have a two-year cycle ahead of the 2023 World Cup, but it’ll be changed to a three-year cycle if needed.
