The World Cricketers’ Association says it is “concerned” by how the 2027 men’s 50-over World Cup will be structured.
It warned that the format, which eliminates two of the three lowest-ranked teams early, raises “questions about transparency, consultation and the game’s long-term commitment to global growth”.
The main part of the tournament, which begins with 14 teams, will feature just 12 sides.
In 2021 the International Cricket Council committed to increasing the nun
The three lowest-ranked qualifiers will contest a first round that will result in just one progressing to join the remaining 11 teams in the group stage.
The rest of the tournament will proceed with two groups of six, and the top three from each and the next-best ranked team will progress to a round-robin ‘super seven’ stage, replacing the ‘super six’. The top four teams from the ‘super seven’ then progress to the semi-finals.
The WCA said it is “concerned that the revised format falls short of the opportunity presented by expansion to 14 teams”.
It added: “For some countries, qualification will no longer guarantee a genuine World Cup campaign or the opportunity to compete against established nations, reducing the potential sporting, developmental and commercial benefits for some players and emerging cricket markets.”
The changes will be in place for the 2027 edition, which is being co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The last 50-over World Cup, held in 2023, featured 10 teams but two years previously the International Cricket Council (ICC) had committed to increasing the size of the tournament to 14 teams.
The last time it was a 14-team tournament was 2015, when teams were split into two groups of seven, with each side guaranteed six matches.
The ICC had said the new format “creates greater context, competitiveness and consequence during the event”.
It has been asked for comment following the criticism from the WCA, whose chief executive Tom Moffat said: “It is difficult to reconcile the game’s stated ambition of growing cricket globally with decisions that reduce meaningful opportunities at pinnacle events for some of the countries that stood to benefit most from genuine expansion.”
Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands are currently 12th, 13th and 14th in the men’s ODI rankings.
Scotland captain Richie Berrington said: “Players don’t expect to make every decision, but we should be meaningfully consulted on decisions that have significant impacts on the game and on players’ careers.
“Better decisions are made when different perspectives are brought to the table, and we’re urging the game to start doing that properly.”
