Now Reading: Scotland, Netherlands call ICC World Cup changes a ‘setback’
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Scotland, Netherlands call ICC World Cup changes a ‘setback’
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) have called the ICC's sudden overhaul of the Men's ODI World Cup qualification pathway a major 'setback' for associate nations. The changes, announced…
The Story in Brief
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) have called the ICC's sudden overhaul of the Men's ODI World Cup qualification pathway a major 'setback' for associate nations. The changes, announced after the ICC annual conference in July, replace the original 14-team format with a 'Super Series' and 'Super 7' stage. Under the new structure, the bottom three ranked sides will play a round-robin, with only the winner joining the top 11 in two six-team groups. The boards say they were not consulted and that the decision undermines years of global progress. They also note that two official meetings after the conference yielded no formal written resolution from the ICC.
The Indian Opinion
The ICC will argue that a leaner, more competitive World Cup attracts broadcasters and protects the 'product'. But the boards of Scotland and the Netherlands have a point: changing the qualification pathway 18 months out, with no written follow-up, is poor governance. There is no 'us versus them' here, only the question of whether the ICC truly wants to grow the game. The real test will be whether the ICC issues a formal response or reverses the mid-cycle change.
Sources (2): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
