ICC has announced the World Cup Super League for international teams to make ODI cricket more interesting and competitive. This league is adopted from the ICC test championship model. The league will be played from 2020 to 2023 starting with the ENG vs IRE series on July 30.
Top 13 Teams will compete in a bilateral series to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. England will be up against Ireland on 30th July for the inaugural match of this Super League.
Teams Participating in this League
13 teams will be participating in the Super League. All 12 test playing nations will be part of this super League and the 13th team is Netherlands who had previously won the ICC World Cup qualifier. India being the host has automatically qualified for the World Cup 2023.
The teams are as follows:
1. India (host – automatic qualification)
2. Australia
3. England
4. New Zealand
5. Pakistan
6. Bangladesh
7. West Indies
8. Sri Lanka
9. Afghanistan
10. South Africa
11. Ireland
12. Zimbabwe
13. Netherlands
The teams which end up in the top 8 positions (Including India) of points table will qualify for the World Cup 2023.
The remaining 5 teams will compete in the ICC World Cup qualifiers with 5 other associate nations. Among which two top teams will qualify for the ICC World Cup 2023. Hence a total of 10 teams will be a part of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
How will the Super League be played?
● 13 teams will play eight 3-match series (bilateral series)
● 4 home series (bilateral series)
● 4 away series (bilateral series)
● 10 points for a win (per match)
● 5 points for Tie / no-result (per match)
Note: There are 13 teams but 8 series hence not all teams will play against each other.
Now the big question that arises: will India and Pakistan face-off in the Super League?
The answer is no, as India and Pakistan do not have bilateral ties, therefore they won’t compete with each other. The teams which India won’t play against are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.
What’s new in this format?
● Earlier there was a cut-off date by ICC for top 8 ranking teams to automatically qualify for the World Cup but now the teams have to perform well in each and every match of a bilateral series.
● Front foot no-balls will now be checked by the 3rd Umpires rather than on-field umpires in all the matches of Super League.
Important Links: World Cup Super League | Schedule | Points Table