The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled major changes to the formats of future ODI and T20 World Cups following its recent annual meeting in Edinburgh.
The ODI World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams but the tournament will now begin with a new Super Series. In this opening phase, the three lowest-ranked teams will compete for just one spot in the main group stage, while the other two teams will be eliminated.
The remaining 12 teams will then move into the second round, where they will be divided into two groups of six. The top three teams from each group, along with the best-performing fourth-placed team overall, will qualify for the Super 7 stage.
From the Super 7 standings, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals.
Explaining the changes, the ICC said the new format is designed to make matches more meaningful from the beginning of the tournament while still giving emerging teams an opportunity to compete at the highest level of international cricket.
The ICC has also introduced a new format for the T20 World Cup. The tournament will begin with 20 teams split into five groups of four. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 10 stage.
In the Super 10, the 10 qualified teams will be divided into two groups of five. The team finishing first in each group will earn a direct place in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the teams finishing second and third in each group will compete in the newly introduced Eliminators. The second-placed team from Group A will face the third-placed team from Group B, while the second-placed team from Group B will take on the third-placed team from Group A. The two Eliminator winners will secure the remaining semi-final spots.
The new tournament formats were approved during the ICC’s recent annual meeting in Edinburgh.
