OdishaPlus Bureau
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday gave way to the ODI Super League, a qualifier for the 2023 World Cup in India. The move aims to add context to the 50-over format. Hosts India and the next top seven teams in the Super League will automatically qualify for the World Cup, an official statement said. The competition will begin with a series between England and Ireland, at Southampton on July 30. The rest of the schedule will be revealed later.
ICC’s GM Operation Geoff Allardice said, “The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake.”
Featuring 13 teams, the 12 ICC Full Members and the Netherlands, who qualified by winning the World Cricket Super League 2015-17, the Super League will see each side play four home and four away three-match series. The five sides which fail to qualify directly will play along with five Associate sides in the Qualifier 2023, with two teams making it to the 10-team World Cup in India.
Each team gets 10 points for a win, five for a tie/no result/abandonment and none for a loss. Teams will be ranked according to total points earned across the eight series. There are criteria in place to separate two or more teams on equal points. A knock-out phase will not be needed as the league standings will determine the qualification for the World Cup.
“It is obviously going to be a huge challenge taking on the team that won the World Cup just a year ago but we have prepared well and have taken confidence from our form over the early months of 2020,” said Balbirnie.
