ICC World Test Championship likely to see expansion to 12 teams in 2027-29 cycle

New Delhi [India], November 11 (ANI): The next edition of ICC World Test Championship, the 2027-29 cycle, is likely to feature all 12 Test-playing nations in one division, an upgrade from the current format of nine teams playing in the competitions, as the two-tier WTC system failed to generate support.

Also, a revival of the ODI Super League is likely. A working group headed by former New Zealand player Roger Twose, tasked with addressing current issues related to all formats of the game, gave their recommendations to the International Cricket Council (ICC) board and the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) during last week's quarterly meetings held in Dubai, as per ESPNCricinfo.

A two-tier system for the World Test Championship, an idea floated after underwhelming performances from the likes of the West Indies and the dominance of India, England, and Australia in the WTC fixtures, was among the topics discussed when the working group was formed at the ICC annual conference in July.

But there were doubts if a funding model for the same could be implemented ,and that led to idea of two-tier model being scuppered. It had been been mooted that financially well-off boards of England, Australia and India could support the teams in division two monetarily, but the talks did not to the levels expected. The nations likely to be placed in tier-two, such as the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, opposed the system, due to how it could potentially affect their chances of playing top nations.

Promotion and relegation of teams was also a major issue that contributed to the idea not getting much support as the 'Big Three' (India, Australia and England) had their concerns of financial impacts of relegation.

The working group has now proposed a 12-team WTC, also featuring Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, whose Test matches are not considered a part of WTC under the current system. The next cycle of WTC will start from July 2027, and teams will be given a certain number of Tests that they will have to play at a minimum, and no extra funds are likely to be made available for hosting Tests, something with which members like Ireland have struggled.

"It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket," a board director said to ESPNcricinfo. "Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities, and there is an incentive for other teams to play them."

Coming to the limited-overs cricket, the ODI Super League, which was scrapped after the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, could also be revived.

The league consisted of 13 teams and started in July 2020, was invented with an aim to give more context and stakes to ODI matches, a format which has been on decline as of late in terms of fixtures. But it fell out of favour really quickly due to an increasingly cramped calendar, much to the dislike of less-dominant full members and associate nations.

The proposal of revival of the league did not reveal how much teams could play, with the league set for a potential return in 2028, after the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.

"The Super League could help revitalise the 50-over format," one administrator said. "Maybe the problem is not that the format is necessarily dead; it is finding the proper structure," the administrator added.

There is not a push to increase the number of teams in 50-over WC, which has been expanded to a 14-team affair after previous two editions featured just 10 nations. The T20 World Cup is also set to be a 20-team tournament even though some administrators are pushing for an incremental increase by four, with an aim of reaching the 32-team format.

Associate members have also proposed a revamp into T20 WC qualifying format. Just like men's Olympic qualifying pathway and majorly witnessed in global sports events, a global qualifier would determine the final spots, with the qualifying pathway not only featuring associate nations but also full member nations which could not make it to the tournament through their ICC Rankings.

A global qualifier is hoped to provide revenue for association nations and will also make some Asian nations happy, as they believe that the current regional pathway limits their chances of featuring in the marquee tournament.

Despite some influential support and emergence of several leagues, the T10 format would not be an official one.

The board is expected to hold a debate over these issues in ICC meetings next year. (ANI)

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