The International Cricket Council (ICC) is contemplating having as many as 20 teams in the T20 World Cup from the 2024 edition of the quadrennial tournament
Although 16 teams will participate in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup later this year, the ICC is keen on introducing more teams for the 2024 edition with the objective of globalising the sport.
The ICC is of the view that T20 is the best format to take cricket to unchartered territories since it’s easier for new countries to adapt to the fast-paced nature of the format. Cricket’s shortest format also bridges the gap in quality between established cricketing nations and those countries that are new to the game.
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, the ICC is also planning on having more teams for the 50-over World Cup in what is a stark contrast and change in the attitude of cricket’s governing body having consistently reduced teams’ participation in the 50-over World Cup over the last decade.
In recent years, the ICC reduced the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup from 16 in 2007 to 14 in 2011 as well as 2015 and 10 in 2019, in a bid to reduce lop-sided matches.
However, the latest reports now indicate that cricket’s governing body wants to return to having 14 teams in the next 50-over World Cup in 2023 as the ICC aggressively pushes for cricket’s entry to the Olympics.
The 2021 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in October-November in India. However, with the current surge of Covid-19 cases in the country, the tournament could be shifted to a more suitable location with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on standby for hosting the tournament.
UAE has previously shown that they can host major cricketing tournaments in the current global climate having successfully hosted the 2020 edition of the Indian T20 League.
Featured Image: AFP/ Ishara S. Kodikara
