ICC World Test and ODI Championships Explained

ICC back in 2017 announced the Test and One Day International leagues that will replace the current bilateral series and the rankings system. Not only will this system provide context to the matches played but also enhance the interest of public with every match having a meaning. The Test championship has started after the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup and here is some information to help you get the hang of everything related to the test and ODI league.

Both the championships will run for two years, but the current bilateral nature of T20 matches will stay the same where the boards have the choice of deciding how many matches to play during the tour and the ranking system will also exist. To understand the nature of these new changes here is a detailed look at the changes brought by the International Cricket Council.

ICC World Test Championship Explained

The top nine test playing nations will be part of the test championship, and they include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies.

The Test league will started soon after the 2019 cricket world cup and will run over a two-year cycle, and the final will be played between the top two teams shortly after the completion.

Each team will have to play three home series and three away series during this period and each series can comprise of at least two and maximum of five test matches to accommodate the high-profile series.

A maximum of six series can be played by one team over two years. After completion of the two year cycle the fina will take place between the top two placed teams.

No of Matches	Points for a Win	Points for a Tie	Points for a Draw	Points for a Loss
2	60	30	20	0
3	40	20	13	0
4	30	15	10	0
5	24	12	8	0

The other three test playing nations of Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan will be part of the lower division, and the top countries will have to find a slot in their schedule to play matches with them.

The prospect of four-day test matches has gained momentum with the talks of playing these test nations and may even replace the practice matches on tours of full members such as England which encloses Ireland, South Africa, which is neighboring Zimbabwe and Pakistan (or UAE) for Afghanistan.

ICC ODI League Explained

Due to prior commitments, the ODI league will not start until 2020 and therefore will also last for two years for the first cycle.

The thirteen nations which include the full members and countries with ODI status will be part of the league, and these include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe and the winner of the continental cup.

For the first cycle, each team will play eight series in two years with three matches per series the maximum with four home, and four away series. There is no minimum number of games for ODI format.

From the next rotation, the period expands to three years with every member playing against each other, and that means twelve series in that time, with four each year and six home and away series.

A maximum of twelve series can be played by teams in three years.

Once the two-year cycle ends in mid of 2022, members board have kept an eight-month block to play bilateral series leading up to the world cup in 2023 and that will expand to one year from the next cycle when the three-year rotation ends.

This structure will become an automatic qualification for the world cup cricket with nine spots up for the grab because the host nation gets a confirmed ticket.

Summary

Although this is only the first edition and there are a lot of loopholes in the format such as division of points, no fixed matches, and not all teams playing against each other so it is a possibility that one side gets the edge by playing lower ranked team while others don’t. Another factor is the issue of Pakistan and India, who have not played in a bilateral series for over a decade now. But all in all, this is a good start.

Overall, it does ensure that the days of meaningless matches is over, with every series and even the games having some weight, the interest of public not only in their team, but the performance of other teams will also increase. A much-needed change that cricket nations deserve.