The ICC is weighing a return to a global qualifying pathway for Associate member teams, rather than a complete overhaul of the current structure. The move is understood to be among the key outcomes from ICC members meeting in Ahmedabad on Saturday, May 30. The proposal would cover future men\u2019s T20 World Cups, with the expectation that Associate nations get a clearer, global route to the biggest events.<\/p>\n
The ICC Board is set to meet again in Ahmedabad on Sunday morning, ahead of the IPL final, with approval expected to be formally given to the plan. Whether the decision also requires a separate nod at the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh in July remains unclear. Still, the direction of travel points toward restarting the Global Qualifier specifically for Associate teams.<\/p>\n
A major driver behind the push is the changing appetite for Associate cricket worldwide. When Associate sides were playing internationally in the past, viewership levels were reportedly around eight times lower than the numbers for Full Member matches. More recent figures suggest the divide has narrowed sharply to roughly 1.5 times, excluding, of course, India games.<\/p>\n
The Global Qualifier itself was previously in place, but it was dropped after the 2019 edition held in the UAE. In that tournament, the Netherlands emerged victorious and secured the Associate berths for the 2020 T20 World Cup. Due to the pandemic, the event was ultimately staged a year later in 2021.<\/p>\n
Since 2019, Associate teams have been finding their way into the T20 World Cup through five regional and sub-regional qualification routes. For the most recent edition, played in India and Sri Lanka, eight teams earned qualification via those five regional tournaments.<\/p>\n
The Americas region was given one spot, with Canada winning qualification from that pathway. Europe and Africa were each allocated two berths, and the teams progressing from those regions were the Netherlands, Italy, Zimbabwe and Namibia respectively. In the combined Asia and East Asia-Pacific pathway, three places were available, with Nepal, the UAE and Oman qualifying.<\/p>\n
Where and when the ICC would stage the Global Qualifier will be confirmed only after the required approvals are secured. Even so, scheduling could be complicated, especially with other parts of the qualification calendar already moving.<\/p>\n
Not all delegates will be present in Ahmedabad. Mirwais Ashraf of Afghanistan and Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh are set to miss the meetings for different reasons. Richard Thompson of the ECB, who was initially expected to join online, is understood to have arrived in the city.<\/p>\n
There is no representative from the Pakistan Cricket Board in Ahmedabad. Its chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is expected to take part in Sunday\u2019s meeting virtually. Tamim, who leads the interim committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, also chose not to travel to India.<\/p>\n
Tamim\u2019s absence is linked to Bangladesh\u2019s domestic leadership contest. He is contesting for the BCB top post, with elections scheduled for June 7. With Tamim away, BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury is believed to have arrived in Ahmedabad late on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The ICC is weighing a return to a global qualifying pathway for Associate member teams, rather than a complete overhaul of the current structure. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL and T20 World Cup Updates: ICC Associate Qualifier Plan","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"ICC explores a global qualifier route for Associate teams in future T20 World Cups, aiming clearer chances for smaller nations after key talks in Ahmedabad.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n