ICC considers shorter ODIs, new T20 championship & more to overhaul cricket

The ICC is preparing a framework to improve the three international formats.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to hold a meeting to review proposals to improve Test, ODI, and T20I matches. The Governing Body will discuss the matter at the annual general meeting of all 12-member nations on Wednesday as part of a strategic review.

The meeting will take place in Edinburgh, where key decisions will be taken. Consulting firm McKinsey will consider these matters. While the meeting is just the initial step toward an upcoming overhaul, ICC might initiate drastic changes to ensure all three formats of international cricket can survive in the future.

Key discussions at the meeting will focus on establishing a Continental Championship, a World Club Championship for T20 franchises, fixed windows for every format, and changes to 50-over cricket.

Notably, among the three formats, ODI cricket’s popularity has declined in recent years, primarily due to its time-consuming nature and the dominance of a select few teams.

The introduction of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in the last decade has helped to grow the popularity of the longest format. Moreover, T20I cricket has become a fan favourite due to its quick and thrilling nature.

ICC to review proposals to decrease length of ODI games- Reports

According to a report by The Guardian, the ICC is looking forward to decreasing the length of ODI matches. Currently, in this format, each team plays 50 overs, which means the entire match consists of 100 overs. Hence, an ODI match takes a full day, which is one of the crucial factors behind its declining viewership.

Furthermore, the dominance of Australia, England, and India in ODI cricket is clearly evident, and bilateral series that do not feature these three nations often attract fewer viewers. Moreover, all the major cricket-playing nations often conduct ODI series in the 18-month window leading to the World Cup.

Therefore, ICC wishes to develop a framework to overhaul the 50-over format, and one of the key suggestions is to decrease the length of ODIs.

Such proposals also became the talk of the town during the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, the ODI format consisted of 60 overs a few decades ago and was shortened to 50 overs.

For instance, when India won the first ODI World Cup in 1983, the matches comprised 60 overs per side. However, when MS Dhoni led the Men in Blue to their second title in 2011, games consisted of only 50 overs in an innings.

The report also added that such changes are less likely to be applicable in the next ODI World Cup 2027. Even if the ICC makes some surprising decisions, it will only be effective after 2031.

The ICC’s future tours programme is fixed until next year, when both the ODI World Cup and the WTC final will take place. Moreover, the bilateral series of Australia, England, and India are confirmed until 2031.

Other Key Proposals at ICC AGM 2026

1. Shorten the length of ODIs.
2. Introduce fixed scheduling windows for Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
3. Promote more multi-team series.
4. Launch continental championships across regions.
5. Create a World Club T20 Championship for franchises.
6. Expand WTC to 12 teams (including Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan).
7. Allow one-Test series to count for WTC points.
8. Introduce a two-tier Test system.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.