Two-tier WTC model scuppered; ODI Super League revival on the cards

The next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is likely to feature all 12 Full Members in one division after plans to split nations into two tiers failed to gain widespread support, while a resurrection for the short-lived ODI Super League is also on the cards.

A working group, led by former New Zealand batter Roger Twose, tasked with addressing pressing issues over cricket's three formats provided recommendations to the ICC board and Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) during last week's quarterly meetings in Dubai.

There had been a sense of urgency behind it with countries already having started conversations for bilateral series that will be part of the next WTC cycle (2027-29).

A two-tier system, which has cropped up in talks periodically for over a decade, was again among topics discussed when the working group was formed at the ICC annual conference in July.

But doubts over whether a funding model could be implemented contributed to scuppering the two-tier model. It had been mooted that India, England and Australia could support those in division two through a financial distribution, but those talks did not go far.

Nations likely to occupy division two, such as West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were opposed to the idea due to the likely lack of playing opportunities against the bigger nations.

Promotion and relegation was also a thorny issue, the big three concerned about the financial impacts of relegation.

"We wouldn't want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don't play Australia and India?" ECB chief Richard Thompson told the BBC in August. "That couldn't happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here."

Instead the working group has proposed a 12-team WTC, with Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, potentially part of an expanded league for the next cycle, which begins in July 2027. The teams will be expected to play a minimum number of Tests - the exact number is not yet known - during the cycle. No extra funding is likely to be available for hosting Tests - which has been part of the struggle for members such as Ireland.

"It guarantees that everyone is playing Test cricket," a board director told ESPNcricinfo. "Those that really want to play the format now have opportunities and there is an incentive for other teams to play them."

There were also developments on the white-ball formats, with the ODI Super League possibly to be revived, having been scrapped following the 2023 World Cup.

The 13-team league, which only began in July 2020, had been developed in a bid to create more context for the waning 50-over format. But it fell by the wayside amid an increasingly cramped calendar much to the chagrin of smaller Full Members and Associates.

The proposal did not detail how many teams would be part of a new league, which can only return from 2028.

"The Super League could help revitalise the 50-over format," one administrator said. "Maybe the problem is not that the format is necessarily dead, it's finding the proper structure."

There does not appear to be any push to increase the number of teams at 50-over World Cups, which will be a 14-team competition in 2027 after being limited to just ten in the previous two editions.

The T20 World Cup is also set to remain at 20 teams even though there is a push from some administrators to incrementally increase it by four, with the aim ultimately of getting to 32 teams.

Associate members have also put forward a proposal into revamping the T20 World Cup qualifying format. In a similar concept to the men's Olympic qualifying pathway, and commonly seen in other major sports, a global qualifier would determine the final spots and may feature not only Associates but Full Members who did not automatically qualify through rankings.

A global qualifier is hoped to provide a revenue source for Associates, while appeasing some Asian nations who believe the current regional pathway limits their chances of qualifying for T20 World Cups.

Associate administrators hope the global tournament can be part of the qualification process for the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Despite having some influential support, with leagues popping up around the globe, the 90-minute T10 won't be an official format.

The board is expected to debate these issues at the next ICC meetings early next year.