The International Cricket Council (ICC) faces severe backlash because its late structure changes isolate Associate nations from the 2027 ODI World Cup, slated to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Earlier this year, the apex body confirmed the format for the quadrennial event, citing that there would be 12 teams in two groups of six, rather than 14 as originally planned.
The tournament will begin with a preliminary round-robin featuring the three lowest-ranked qualified teams (teams 12, 13, and 14). Only the winner of this round will advance to the main group stage, while the other two teams will be eliminated immediately.
In a strong joint statement, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) on Monday (August 10) condemned the newly introduced Super Series preliminary round.
"The changes risk weakening the integrity and credibility of international cricket, and only highlight the importance of strong governance, transparent decision-making and effective engagement with members," the statement said.
“Changing those structures at short notice creates significant uncertainty, disrupts planning, and places additional operational and financial pressure on organisations that are already operating with limited resources,” the statement added.
The two cricket boards also slammed the global governing body for changing the World Cup format without proper consultation, leaving Associate members feeling disrespected and ignored.
"Cricket Scotland, KNCB and other Associate members met twice with the ICC, seeking official written communication on the changes and greater clarity around the processes involved," the statement read.
“We also requested positive action to strengthen future operational decision-making and an invitation to bilateral planning meetings with full members. Since the second meeting more than two weeks ago, there has been no further response from the ICC, which is disappointing and disrespectful given the significance of the issues raised,” it further stated.
Earlier, in a media release, the ICC had confirmed that the 14-team 2027 ODI World Cup will feature four distinct stages -- a preliminary Super Series, a Group round split into two groups, a Super 7 round, and the Knockouts.
In Round 1, the three lowest-ranked qualified teams will play a Super Series, and only the top side will qualify for Round 2, where there would be two groups of 6. Top three teams from each group plus the next-highest-placed team overall will make it to the Super 7, while the top four teams from the Super 7 will progress to the semi-finals.
