Understanding 2020–22 Cricket World Cup ODI Super League
Change is always an integral part of any international sport. To keep any sport interesting, it has no option to undergo some minor or major changes to enthral the modern-day crowd. The International Cricket Council (ICC), for keeping the gentleman’s game alive, has also kept presenting changes over the past few decades.
It all started with the introduction of limited-overs format and the game has now boiled down to 10-overs games too. Change is inevitable as well as important to keep the fans engaged in the current era. The ICC also has a knack for introducing quirky and eccentric tournaments to catch the attention of fans.
The Super League concept
The ICC recently introduced the inaugural Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League tournament with the same motive. Aimed to bring a context to ODI cricket, the Super League will see a total of 156 games, which began with England’s three-match ODI series against Ireland.
There will be 13 teams involved in the league and the team to amass most points will be declared as the champion. Moreover, the first seven teams who finish at the top will gain an automatic qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup, slated to take place in India. If the Indian side is amongst the seven teams, the 8th team will get an opportunity to qualify for the showpiece event.
The 13 teams competing in the Super League are– Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
The ICC CWC Super League, which will add context to ODI series and help determine qualification for the ICC Men’s @cricketworldcup 2023, gets under way with the #ENGvIRE series.#RoadToCWC23
Details ? https://t.co/x0D6u1ACxA pic.twitter.com/FBFtgSJVbo
— ICC (@ICC) July 27, 2020
Qualification scenario
The top seven teams will qualify for the 2023 World Cup. But what about those teams which eventually finish at the bottom of the points table? These sides will still have a chance to qualify for the 2023 World Cup as the five bottom-ranked teams, along with Associate nations, will battle in World Cup Qualifiers to book a berth in the mega-event.
Talking about the points system, each side will gain 10 points after winning a game. In case of a tie, draw, or an abandoned match, both sides will share five points each.
The concept of ODI World Cup Super League is a bit similar to that of ICC Test Championship. Not all teams will face each other during the course of the league. In fact, each team will face only eight of the other 12 competing countries in a three-match series. Each team will play 24 league games spanning over 4 home series and 4 away series.
As per the current Future Tours Programme, India will not be playing any series against arch-rivals Pakistan, shattering fans’ hopes of witnessing a series between both the cricket heavyweights. Furthermore, not all One-day Internationals in a calendar year are a part of the World Cup Super League.
