Bureau report
Karachi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the inaugural ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, starting with England’s one-day series against Ireland.
The competition has been introduced to help bring context to 50-over cricket at the highest level, the Super League will be used as a qualification system for the next ICC World Cup, scheduled for 2023 in India.
ICC in its statement said that 13 teams will participate, the 12 full members and the Netherlands. Top seven in the final table will qualify automatically and secure their spot at the global tournament. All sides will play four series at home and away, with each consisting of three matches.
“The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as the qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake. The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.” Geoff Allardice, ICC general manager for cricket operations, said.
“The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important,” he added.
