ICC moots inception of ODI league to add relevance to bilateral contests Highlights 2016, ICC moots inception of ODI league to add relevance to bilateral contests Highlights 2016.In a conscientious attempt to give context and relevance to the 50-over contests, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is said to be planning on creating a new One-Day International (ODI) league of the world's top-13 cricket playing nations, starting 2019.
According to an ESPNCricinfo report on Saturday (June 18), the 13-team ODI league - believed to comprise the 10 Test playing nations along with Ireland, Afghanistan and Nepal - will see teams play each other over three years, with the top two nations playing a play-off series, constituting either three or five games, to determine the league champion.
The said league could also incorporate the promotion/relegation system with the World Cricket League Championship, the second tier of one-day cricket, with the team finishing bottom of the ODI league at the end of the three-year cycle facing demotion to the lower division.
The ODI format could undergo a huge change should the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) members vote in favour of a proposal to do so in it’s annual general meeting this month in London.
The proposal involves a formation of a new league of 13 teams in order to make 50-over matches more relevant. It could be implemented as soon as in 2019, in which each of the 13 teams would play a 3-match series, either home or away, against each other over a 3-year period. At the end of the period, the top two teams will play the final much like the Test championship.
If implemented, this could see powerhouse nations such as India and Australia play more frequently with the likes of associate nations including Afghanistan and Ireland.
As per the current ICC ODI rankings, 12 teams feature in it. The 13th side could be determined by the winner of the 2015-17 World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) - the second tier of one-day cricket – a competition featuring Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea amongst teams. The ICC is pushing for the creation of a new ODI league for the world's top 13 countries to give 50-over cricket new context and relevance.
Plans are well-advanced to create a new league from 2019 for 13 nations - believed to be the ten Test teams, Afghanistan, Ireland and one other Associate, with Nepal advocated by some as a favoured option in a debate that still has some way to run.The league will see all countries play each other over three years, with the top two nations playing a play-off series to determine the overall winner of the league.
It is hoped that the proposals will give ODI cricket a new context and sense of purpose, amid fears that the format fits awkwardly between Test and Twenty20 cricket, insufficiently loved either by traditionalists or newer fans.
Under the plans, each team would play a three-match series either home or away against every other country, amounting to 36 ODIs each over a three-year basis. The fourth year of each cycle would be reserved for World Cup preparation.
