WTC likely to expand to 12 teams by 2027:Test cricket will not adopt two-tier system, ODI Super League may also return

12 teams may participate in the World Test Championship (WTC) from 2027. Also, teams will not be divided into 2 tiers. Moreover, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is also preparing to restart the ODI Super League. The ICC’s General Meeting was held last week in Dubai. According to ESPN, in this meeting, a committee chaired by former New Zealand batsman Roger Twose submitted its report to the ICC. Discussions were held regarding the development of all three formats of cricket. ICC will not adopt a 2-tier system Many cricket experts have said that Test cricket should be divided into 2 parts. Top teams should be placed in one group and the remaining teams in another group. The ICC also tried to find a solution by forming a committee in July this year. However, the apex council rejected the 2-tier system in the meeting. Sri Lanka, Pakistan protested against the two-tier format Member countries are also rushing for this plan so that series after 2027 can be planned. Countries like Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Pakistan opposed the two-tier system. They argued that if there were no matches against big countries, their boards would not be able to earn money. Series against countries like India, England, and Australia increase funding in other nations. England Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Richard Thompson had also commented on this issue, saying,”A 2-tier system will only cause harm. Our team could also move to the second group after poor performance, in which case our matches against Australia and India would stop. This would only harm us.” Afghanistan, Zimbabwe will also be part of the WTC The 2-tier system was not implemented in the ICC meeting, but there was talk of expanding it to 12 teams in the next cycle. Currently, only 9 teams participate in the WTC. From 2027, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland will also become a part of it. However, the ICC will not provide funding for hosting Tests. Countries like Ireland and Zimbabwe face funding problems in hosting Tests. An ICC member told ESPN, “It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket. Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities, and there is an incentive for other teams to play them.” One-Day Super League might mark its return Meanwhile, the indications of the One-Day Super League’s return were also found in the ICC meeting. It was removed after the 2023 ODI World Cup. It is believed that it might return after the 2027 ODI World Cup. This 13-team league started in July 2020, in which the top-10 teams from the points table got entry into the next World Cup. The Super League was removed due to cricket’s busy calendar. However, with the introduction of a points system in bilateral series, the importance of every series will increase. This will also reduce the threat of ODI cricket dying out. The Super League might return from 2028, but no decision has been made on how many teams will participate in it. Teams will not increase in the World Cup In the ICC meeting, no decision was made regarding increasing the number of teams participating in the World Cups for both white-ball formats. Only 14 teams will participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup will continue to be played among 20 teams. However, in the future, 32 teams might become part of the tournament. Qualifier system may change Some associate members said that the qualification system in the T20 World Cup and the Olympics should be changed. Currently, some teams enter based on rankings; this should be changed to include all teams in the qualifier round. Despite all this, ICC did not consider T-10 as an official format of cricket. Apart from this, a final decision on other issues can be taken in the ICC meeting to be held early next year.