ICC Slammed For New Format As World Cup Teams Break Silence

Jay Shah [Source: AFP]

The ODI World Cup 2027 is still a year away, yet the recent rules and format changes of the mega ICC tournament have buzzed the cricket world. Recently, the Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council shared a completely new phase for the tournament, including the Super 7 round and a Super Series for a group of three teams.

All of these decisions were heavily criticised by the cricketing community and now by the cricketers themselves.

Captains of different Associate Nations as well as New Zealand stars commented on the approach that the ICC took ahead of the 2027 edition.

World Cup team players react to new 2027 World Cup rules

The new format of the World Cup, which will come into effect from 2027, will most importantly graze the Associate Nations and teams which have lower seed rankings. Naturally, the reactions came from teams like the Netherlands, Scotland, the USA and others.

Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards shared, "The new rule is incredibly disappointing and more opportunities on the global stage should be there, not less". 

The immediate reaction came from the World Cricketers' Association (WCA) after the ICC approved a revamped 2027 ODI World Cup format. 

What is ICC's new format for 2027 ODI World Cup?

The 2027 ODI World Cup will feature a revamped 14-team format spread across three stages before the knockout rounds. The three lowest-ranked qualified teams will first compete in a Super Series, with only one team advancing to join the remaining 11 sides in the group stage. 

The 12 teams will then be divided into two groups of six, from which the top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed side overall, will qualify for the Super 7 stage. 

The seven qualifying teams will play each other once, with the top four teams at the end of the round-robin progressing to the semi-finals.

Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, USA slam ICC

Scott Edwards, the skipper of the Netherlands, bashed the scheme, arguing that it took away a lot from the Associate nations after years of preparation and qualification levels.

"Qualifying for an ODI World Cup is a huge achievement for any country, so when the reality of that opportunity changes after years of planning, it's incredibly disappointing. The ICC talks a lot about growing the game globally, but decisions like this make it harder for associate nations to play against the best teams in the world. 

Those opportunities are what help countries improve and inspire the next generation of players. If we're serious about making cricket a global sport, we should be creating more opportunities on the global stage, not less," Edwards shared.

Richie Berrington, Scotland’s premier batter and record holder for the most runs in ODIs for the national team, also spoke up on this matter. He stressed the importance of discussing with players before taking any major decision like this.

"Players don't expect to make every decision, but we should be meaningfully consulted on decisions that have significant impacts on the game and on players' careers. Better decisions are made when different perspectives are brought to the table, and we're urging the game to start doing that properly," Berrington shared.

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Ireland skipper Paul Stirling shared how important it is to keep smaller and Associate nations in the scheme of things and not pretend to sideline them with a filtration process even before the main tournament begins.

"The smaller and associate countries have consistently proven to add value and interest at global events. The football World Cup we've just witnessed is testament to that in other sports and it would be great to see cricket take a similar approach to maximise opportunities for the game,” Stirling said.

USA cricketer Harmeet Singh shared, "Countries, and players invest years preparing for opportunities like an ODI World Cup. Those opportunities mean a lot, not just for the players involved but for growing the game in emerging countries and for the fans who invest in the game."

New Zealand cricketer slams Jay Shah’s decision for World Cup

New Zealand, which reached the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 6 times and the finals two times, also had a voice to share its opinion on ‘fair opportunities’. 

Daryl Mitchell, the star player of the Kiwis, expressed, "We are fully supportive of players and countries around the world being provided with consistent and fair opportunities to reach and compete on the game's biggest platforms.”

How will ICC’s decision impact Associate Nations?

The 14-team format is effectively a 12-team one where the lowest-ranked three teams will be fighting for survival and risk early elimination. This can also be called a qualifier for teams that have already qualified for the teams. 

This pseudo Super Series will be unfair for Associate Nations and smaller teams since it effectively takes away fair chances of competing with all the teams in the round robin stage.

To survive years of qualification only to be sent home after a two-game preliminary round will also hurt the global exposure of the teams and deprive them of meeting with any of the Giants.

Financially, too, it will strip the team of its revenue opportunities with less broadcast exposure, fewer sponsorship opportunities, and lower development funding. Overall, it's a lose-lose situation for the teams with lower rankings.

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