The ICC has taken steps to expand the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, first introduced last year, with the tournament set to return in November. The governing body’s plan increases the field from the eight teams that took part in the opening edition to a 10-team competition this time, with five sides that play Test cricket among the entrants.
What the ICC decided
- The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, launched last year, will be broadened for its second edition.
- After the inaugural event in November 2025 featured eight Associate members, the next edition will include 10 teams.
- Five Test-playing nations are set to participate in the expanded tournament.
- The competition is scheduled for November this year.
- New participants will include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, joining Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand, the UAE and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
- The decision formed part of the key outcomes from an online meeting of the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) held on Thursday.
The inaugural Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy was staged in Bangkok from November 20 to 30, featuring Scotland, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, Uganda and Tanzania, along with hosts Thailand. Thailand finished top, with the title decided after four teams—Thailand, the UAE, Scotland and the Netherlands—ended the league phase level on points, and the winners were determined through net run rate.
Under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the ICC’s wider intent is to provide a significant boost to women’s cricket, a strategy described as similar in spirit to the changes that had major consequences for the women’s game in India during his period as BCCI secretary. After the Women’s World Cup delivered record global viewership and was won by India, the ICC is looking to build momentum so that women’s cricket becomes the most watched women’s sport worldwide.
As part of the CEC discussions, the committee heard a presentation from McKinsey & Company focused on a refreshed strategy for women’s cricket. The same session also included recommendations on how the ICC could potentially grow its revenues tenfold over the next decade. In addition, representatives from Oliver Wyman briefed the ICC on its data monetisation project.
The ICC is aiming to create a centralised data hub that could, in theory, generate at least $100 million in revenue. It was also noted that FIFA and the ATP Tour each earn close to $200 million from their own data platforms.
Separately, there was no debate at the CEC meeting on men’s cricket issues, including plans to restructure the World Test Championship (WTC) or a proposed two-tier Test system. Those matters have been left for the ICC Board, which is due to convene in Ahmedabad on May 30.
