Auckland, Oct 13 (PTI) The ICC is set to start a nine-team Test league and a 13-team ODI league in 2019 and 2020respectively, aiming to bring "context and meaning tobilateral cricket".
The Test series league will see nine teams play sixseries over two years -- three home and three away -- witheach having a minimum of two Tests and a maximum of five. Allmatches will be played over five days culminating in a WorldTest League Championship Final.
The ODI league will be a direct qualification pathwaytowards the World Cup and will be contested by the 12 fullmembers plus the winners of the current ICC World CricketLeague Championship.
In the first edition of the league, each side will playfour home and four away series each comprising of three ODIsmoving to all teams playing each other from the second cycleonwards.
"I would like to congratulate our Members on reachingthis agreement and putting the interests of the development ofthe game first. Bringing context to bilateral cricket is not anew challenge, but this is the first time a genuine solutionhas been agreed on," ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar said in astatement after the governing body's meeting here.
"This means fans around the world can enjoy internationalcricket knowing every game counts and in the case of the ODIleague, it counts towards qualification to the ICC CricketWorld Cup."ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: "The ICCBoard decision today means we can now go and finalise aplaying schedule for the first edition as well as the pointssystem, hosting arrangements and competition terms."The ICC Board also approved a trial of four-day Teststo run through until the World Cup 2019. Members will be ableto schedule four-day games by bilateral agreement and a set ofstandardised playing conditions will now be finalised.
Richardson said: "Our priority was to develop aninternational cricket structure that gave context and meaningacross international cricket and particularly in the Testarena. This has been delivered and every Test in the newLeague will be a five-day Test format.
"The trial is exactly that, a trial, just in the same wayday-night Tests and technology have been trialled by Members.
Four-day Tests will also provide the new Test playingcountries with more opportunities to play the longer versionof the game against more experienced opponents."Among other decisions taken by ICC during its Boardmeeting, Namibia have been confirmed as the host of the WorldCricket League Division 2 in February 2018 whilst theNetherlands have been approved as the host of the ICC Women'sWorld Twenty20 Qualifier 2018.
The ICC also said that the Cricket World Cup Qualifierwill be held in Zimbabwe in March 2018. PTI ATK PMPM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.