The International Cricket Council (ICC) is pushing for the creation of a new ODI league for the world’s top 13 countries to give 50-over cricket new context and relevance.
Plans are well-advanced to create a new league from 2019 for 13 nations – believed to be the ten Test teams, Afghanistan, Ireland and one other Associate, with Nepal reportedly a favoured option. The league will see all countries play each other over three years, with the top two nations playing a play-off series to determine the overall winner of the league.
Under the plans, each team would play a three-match series either home or away against every other country, amounting to 36 ODIs each over a three-year basis. The fourth year of each cycle would be reserved for World Cup preparation.
Associate teams, through the prospect of the ODI league, will get to play more matches with top cricket sides, which will potentially attract sponsors and give them the opportunity to progress faster in the international setup.
World Cup qualification and seeding process may also be determined by the league results.
