Concerns over change in men’s ODI World Cup format

The World Cricketers’ Association has said it is “concerned” about how the 2027 men’s 50-over World Cup will be structured.

It warned that the format, which eliminated two of the three lowest-ranked teams early on, raised “questions about the game’s long-term commitment to transparency, consultation and global growth”.

The main part of the tournament, Which starts with 14 teams, will have only 12 teams.

The three lowest-ranked qualifiers will compete in the first round with only one advancing to join the remaining 11 teams in the group stage.

The rest of the tournament will proceed with two groups of six, and the top three and next best ranked teams from each will advance to the round-robin ‘Super Seven’ stage, replacing the ‘Super Six’. The top four teams from the ‘Super Seven’ then advance to the semi-finals.

The WCA said it was concerned that the revised format fell short of the opportunities presented by the expansion to 14 teams.

It added: “For some countries, qualification will no longer guarantee a genuine World Cup campaign or the opportunity to compete against established nations, reducing potential sporting, developmental and commercial benefits for some players and emerging cricket markets.”

The changes will be for the 2027 edition, which is being co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Only 10 teams participated in the 2023 World Cup. The last time it was a 14-team tournament was in 2015, when teams were divided into two groups of seven, with each team guaranteed six matches.

The ICC said the new format “creates greater context, competition and results during events”.

Asked to comment following the criticism of the WCA, whose chief executive Tom Moffat said: “It is difficult to reconcile the growing ambitions of global cricket with a decision that reduces meaningful opportunities at the final event for some countries that benefited most from genuine expansion.”

Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands are currently ranked 12th, 13th and 14th in the men’s ODI rankings.

Scotland captain Richie Berrington said: “Players are not expected to make every decision, but we should be meaningfully consulted on decisions that have a significant impact on the game and players’ careers.

“Better decisions are made when different perspectives are brought to the table, and we’re calling on the game to start doing that right.”