Associate nations slam ICC over revamped ODI World Cup format

KARACHI: Captains of three International Cricket Council (ICC) associate nations, Netherlands' Scott Edwards, Namibia's Gerhard Erasmus and Scotland's Richie Berrington, on Friday publicly criticised the apex body's decision to revamp the qualification structure of its Men's Cricket World Cup.

The ICC on Wednesday confirmed a revamped structure for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

While the tournament will continue to feature 14 teams, it will adopt a new three-stage format aimed at creating more competitive matches and improving the experience for both players and fans.

Under the revised format, all 14 qualified teams will compete in a three-phase competition culminating in the final, with greater emphasis placed on every result from the opening stages of the tournament.

The first round will feature Teams 12, 13 and 14 competing in a round-robin 'Super Series', with only the top side progressing to the second round.

Round Two will consist of two groups of six teams each. The top three teams from each group, along with the highest-ranked remaining side across both groups, will advance to the Super Seven stage. From there, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals before the winners contest the final.

The revamped format of the ODI World Cup has been met by anger and confusion from the players of the associate nations, who are most likely to be affected by the changes.

Furthermore, the structural overhaul also led to the players questioning the relevance of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, in which eight associate nations play 36 matches each to secure a spot at next year's global qualifier.

Netherlands captain Edwards, in a statement released by the World Cricketers' Association (WCA), cricket's global players' union, termed the new format of the global tournament "incredibly disappointing" and warned such decisions would hinder the sport's growth globally.

"Qualifying for an ODI World Cup is a huge achievement for any country, so when the reality of that opportunity changes after years of planning, it's incredibly disappointing," Edwards said.

"The ICC talks a lot about growing the game globally but decisions like this make it harder for Associate nations to play against the best teams in the world.

"Those opportunities are what helps countries improve and inspires the next generation of players. If we're serious about making cricket a global sport, we should be creating more opportunities on the global stage, not less."

Namibia's Erasmus echoed his Netherlands counterpart's remarks as he urged the governing body to ensure qualifying tournaments provide a "real opportunity" for associate nations to compete on the biggest stage.

"For players in many countries, an ODI World Cup isn't just another tournament. It's our long form and something careers are built around and generations of players aspire to," said Erasmus.

"We all accept that you have to earn the right to be there, but we also want qualification to provide a real opportunity to compete on the biggest stage. This follows a long history of limited opportunity at Associate level," he added.

Scotland captain Berrington, on the other hand, stressed that the ICC must bring "different perspectives" to the table while making decisions that could significantly impact the sport and players' careers.

"Players don't expect to make every decision, but we should be meaningfully consulted on decisions that have significant impacts on the game and on players' careers," Berrington stated.

"Better decisions are made when different perspectives are brought to the table, and we're urging the game to start doing that properly," he added.

Among other notable critics of the ICC over the overhaul of the tournament's format was Scotland opener George Munsey, who alleged the apex body of favouring India, Australia and England, which he described as the "top three".

"Absolutely no surprise that the ICC hasn't looked after anyone outside the top three [Australia, England and India]," Munsey told an international cricket news website.

For the unversed, the ICC approved the changes during its Annual Conference in Edinburgh. The recommendations were put forward by the Chief Executives' Committee, which includes chief executives and representatives from both Full and Associate Members, before receiving approval from the ICC Board.

According to the ICC, the revised formats are intended to create more meaningful contests, raise competitive standards, strengthen the tournament structure and enhance the overall experience for players and fans across both the ODI and T20 World Cups.