The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly planning to increase the number of the participating teams in the T20 World Cup from the 2024 edition of the showpiece event.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the 2021 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will remain a 16-team competition to be held in Indian in October-November this year, while the ICC is planning to add 4 more teams to the tournament from the 2024 edition.
It is also being said that the ICC is also looking to expand the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup as well.
In 2019, the ICC reduced the World Cup participants from 14 teams to 10 teams with the argument that broadcasters would prefer lesser participation so as to reduce one-sided matches.
However, there is talk of getting the number back to 14 teams for the 50-over World Cup. The matter has been discussed in the recent Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) meeting.
The report said: “The ICC has long seen the T20 format as a vehicle for the game’s expansion and there has been previous talk of such an expansion. The ICC has already confirmed their plans to increase the number of teams in their women’s competitions.”
It added, “It is, perhaps, the move to increasing the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup which provides the most revealing insight into the changing mood of the ICC. In recent years, the ICC cut the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup (from 16 in 2007 to 14 in 2011 and 2015 and 10 in 2019) arguing that broadcasters preferred the streamlined format with the probability of fewer one-sided games.”
Notably, the T20 World Cup 2021 is scheduled to be held in India later this year, but there is uncertainty over hosting the tournament in the country given the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(With IANS Inputs)
