ICC annual meeting to weigh cutting ODI cricket to 40 overs

British media reports suggest board members may also propose expanding the World Test Championship from its current lineup to include 12 teams.

The International Cricket Council is set to consider several major proposals affecting the future of global cricket during its annual general meeting, with a shift in the one day international format expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

According to British media reports, the meeting will likely include discussion on changing the current one day format, with officials weighing a proposal to reduce ODI matches from 50 overs down to 40 overs. Supporters of the change argue that a shorter format could help one day cricket compete more effectively for audience attention against the growing popularity of Twenty20 cricket.

Reports indicate that a proposal to establish a continental championship, featuring teams grouped by region, may also appear on the meeting’s agenda. Alongside that idea, the ICC will reportedly examine a plan to launch a world club championship, which would bring together top domestic franchise teams from different countries to compete on a global stage.

Officials are also expected to discuss assigning separate scheduling windows for each cricket format. Organizers hope that dedicating specific periods of the calendar to Test cricket, one day internationals and Twenty20 matches will make the international cricket schedule easier to manage and reduce clashes between formats.

British media reports suggest board members may also propose expanding the World Test Championship from its current lineup to include 12 teams. Such a change would represent a significant increase from the nine teams that currently compete in the championship cycle. Alongside that expansion, officials are expected to consider a proposal that would allow single standalone Test matches to count toward the World Test Championship points system, a change that could affect how teams approach one off Test fixtures scheduled outside the regular championship cycle.

The ICC’s annual conference will take place from July 8 to July 11 in Edinburgh, Scotland, where representatives from cricket boards around the world will gather to discuss these proposals in detail. Delegates from major cricketing nations are expected to debate the practical and financial implications of each idea before any changes move toward formal approval.

Cricket administrators have debated shortening the one day format for several years, as many boards have expressed concern that 50 over cricket struggles to draw the same level of fan interest as Twenty20 leagues around the world. Proponents of the 40 over proposal argue that a shorter format could inject more urgency into matches while still preserving key elements of one day cricket that distinguish it from the shorter T20 game.

The idea of a continental championship also reflects broader efforts within international cricket to create more meaningful context for bilateral series, many of which currently exist outside any formal points system. A regional competition structure could give teams in similar cricketing regions more regular opportunities to compete against one another in matches carrying greater significance.

Discussions around a world club championship echo similar structures already established in sports like football, where top domestic clubs compete internationally for a global title. If approved, such a tournament could create new revenue streams for cricket boards and franchise owners while offering fans a chance to see club level teams from different countries face off directly.

The proposal to expand the World Test Championship to 12 teams would likely require careful scheduling adjustments, given the packed nature of the international cricket calendar. Officials will need to balance the desire to include more nations in the championship structure against concerns about diluting the competitiveness of the format among lower ranked teams.

As the Edinburgh meeting approaches, cricket boards from major nations are expected to weigh in on each proposal, with final decisions likely to depend on consensus among the sport’s most influential stakeholders. Any changes agreed upon during the meeting would still require further procedural steps before implementation, and officials have not indicated a specific timeline for when such reforms might take effect.