'Disrespectful': Netherlands, Scotland slam ICC over silence on ODI World Cup format changes
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Disrespectful': Netherlands, Scotland slam ICC over silence on ODI World Cup format changes")
Netherlands, Scotland slam ICC over silence on ODI World Cup format changes Photograph: (AFP)
Cricket Scotland and the KNCB slam the ICC for a lack of response and clarity on radical 2027 ODI World Cup format changes, labelling the silence "disrespectful".
Associate nations, including Scotland and the Netherlands, have come down hard on the ICC for the lack of communication and clarity on the revised ODI World Cup format. The ICC revamped the structure just 15 months before the showpiece event in Africa next year, introducing a Super Series Stage. In that, the 12th, 13th and 14th-ranked qualifying teams in a tri-series will compete for just one place in the second round of the World Cup, where 12 teams will be divided into two groups.
Following the format-changing announcement from the ICC, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB, the Netherlands Cricket Board) held two meetings with the apex body seeking official written communication on the changes and greater clarity on the processes involved. Upon receiving no response from the ICC two weeks since their last catch-up on the matter, the two associate boards, among others, jointly released a statement, terming the development ‘disappointing and disrespectful’.
‘Setback to Associate Member Cricket’
Both Cricket Scotland and the KNCB fear the new structure will limit meaningful match time for associate nations just as cricket aims to expand globally. While reaffirming their willingness to work constructively with the ICC, the boards voiced deep alarm over the nature of the decision and the lack of consultation.
"These changes represent a setback to Associate Member cricket and risk undermining the progress made in recent years to grow the global game," the two boards said.
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"At a time when cricket is seeking to expand its reach, attract new audiences and strengthen its position on the international sporting landscape, reducing meaningful opportunities for emerging nations sends entirely the wrong message.
"Cricket Scotland and the KNCB remain fully committed to working constructively with the ICC and fellow Members to strengthen the global game. However, we have significant concerns about both the impact of these changes and the process through which they have been introduced.
"Following the announcement of the changes, 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. 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,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the captains of Namibia, Netherlands and Scotland also expressed their reservations on the format change last month, through a statement released by the World Cricketers' Association, cricket's global player union. The Namibia Cricket chair, Rudi van Vuuren, also said that following such changes, the players will put the revised World Cup schedule into context, prioritising T20 as the format for growth.
