ICC explain why SA vs IND series is not part of ODI Super League

India are locking horns with South Africa in the first ODI at Boland Park in Paarl. A new-look Team India would be looking to dominate the 50-overs format after having lost the three-match Test series 2-1 from a position of strength while the Proteas would be hoping to rediscover their rhythm in One Day Internationals.

As India and South Africa battle it out in the three-match ODI series, it has been learned that the winner of this bilateral series will be making no advancements in the ODI Super League.

Here’s why SA vs Ind is not a part of the ODI Super League

The ongoing SA vs IND bilateral series is not a part of the ODI Super League which is a platform to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. According to the governing body of world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), all the One Day Internationals played towards the build-up to the 13th edition of the quadrennial event are not, necessarily, part of the Super League and in fact, only pre-decided series are a part of the league.

“If teams play three series, all do not count towards that. In some cases, they may play four or five matches in a series, but only three pre-decided matches will count for the Super League points,” says the ICC.

“Each team plays three ODIs against eight other teams. Four of these are home series and four are away series. This means each team plays a total of 24 ODIs.” Ten points are added for each win and five for a tie/no result/abandoned match”, the governing body of world cricket added.

Nonetheless, this would not impact India in any manner as they have automatically qualified for the 2023 World Cup since they would be hosting the showpiece event in October-November next year.

Coming back to the ongoing ODI series, KL Rahul is leading India as regular skipper Rohit Sharma has made himself unavailable due to an injury. As far as the first One Day International is concerned, South Africa have decided to bat first after winning the toss.