Ambiguity in ICC tournaments prevails

With the COVID-19 pandemic blocking the world, the ICC, like all global sports organizations, has been busy working on contingency plans for its events this year: the Men's T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia later this year. year. , the World Test Championships (WTC) and the new ODI League, the path for teams to qualify for the men's ODI 2023 World Cup, which was scheduled to start in May.

This is to further understand that the ICC has already started to write down the first support plans, but they are not yet concrete, since the pandemic remains a fluid situation. But below are some of the options under consideration.

Fate of ICC world T20 event 2021?

Another option the ICC might think of exploring is utilising the gap year that is 2022 which currently does not have an ICC global event. But for that alternative, the ICC along with Cricket Australia and BCCI, the hosting boards for the next two T20 World Cups, would need to sit down and carve out an alternate window which then would need to be synced with the larger Future Tours Programme (FTP).

What happens to the WTC?

India occupy the top slot on the WTC points table, but a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand recently has thrown the race wide open. But now, many series that form part of the WTC will need to be adjusted and deferred. Bear in mind the first cycle is due to end next March, with the final scheduled at Lord's in June. What happens if there is not enough time to accommodate all the series each of the nine teams are supposed to play (six each)?

Will the top two teams, in terms of WTC points table currently, play the final when cricket resumes? Or should the WTC model be reworked to restore parity? It will not be easy given several teams have barely played one series so far under the WTC. Should the WTC final then be deferred to allow all teams play equal number of series to stand an equal chance to make the summit? That would have implications for the second edition of the WTC which was meant to be played from 2021-23. More likely, the current FTP, which runs until 2023, will need to be re-looked at in its entirety.

What about the Cricket World Cup Super League?

The ODI Super League is scheduled to be played between May 1 this year and March 31, 2022, serving as the qualification pathway for the 2023 World Cup. There are 13 teams, including the 12 Test-playing countries along with Netherlands, who will play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home-and-away basis against mutually-agreed opponents. The Super League was put in place to add context to ODI cricket. The administrators will need to decide if it should be postponed altogether, or reduce the number of series when cricket resumes.

The most drastic step, which cannot be ruled out, is doing away with the Super League. In such a scenario the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup would need to be reworked.

When will the ICC decide on these matters?

There is no cut-off date yet chalked out by the ICC. The issue is listed on the agenda for the ICC quarterly meetings scheduled for May 8 to 10, potentially in Dubai based on government regulations, when the chief executives committee and the ICC board are scheduled to meet in person.