Will ODIs be reduced to 40 overs? ICC takes massive call during meeting
ICC took some crucial decisions in the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Edinburg.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted their Annual conference from July 8 to 11 in Edinburgh. In their Annual General Meetings (AGM), the Governing body took some crucial decisions regarding the future of ODI cricket, the World Test Championship, and a few associate nations.
Ahead of the ICC meeting, some reports claimed that ICC is looking forward to shortening ODI games to 40 overs per innings. Currently, each team plays 50 overs, which means the entire match consists of 100 overs.
Therefore, an ODI match takes a full day to complete, which makes it time-consuming. It is one of the crucial factors behind its declining viewership.
Moreover, teams often conduct bilateral ODI campaigns in the lead-up to 18 months ahead of the ICC World Cup. Hence, shortening it to 40 overs was considered by many as an important step to increase its popularity in future.
ICC declines call to shorten ODIs to 40 overs
In the Annual General Meeting, ICC decided not to shorten ODIs from 50 to 40 overs. Currently, ICC has no plans to decrease the length of the format. Notably, the next ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place in October and November 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Moreover, ICC has no immediate plans to expand the WTC cycle to 12 teams. Hence, Ireland, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe will not be part of the competition in the next cycle, which will commence in July 2027.
ICC also clarified that USA Cricket and Canada Cricket remain suspended. While the USA was suspended in September 2025 for failing to implement a functional governance structure, Canada was suspended last month over allegations of match-fixing, financial misconduct, and organised crime influence.
However, these teams have been allowed to participate in international tournaments and qualifiers. Mauritius Cricket Federation has been granted Associate membership during the meeting. Its addition takes ICC’s global governance to 111 nations, consisting of 12 Full Members and 99 Associate Members.
Key decisions taken by ICC in Annual General Meeting
- No plan to reduce ODIs to 40 overs
- No immediate plan to expand WTC to 12 teams
- USA Cricket and Canada Cricket remain suspended
- Mauritius Cricket Federation granted Associate membership
Will ODIs be reduced to 40 overs?
ICC has decided not to shorten ODIs to 40 overs in their Annual General Meeting held in Edinburg in July.
What key decisions has been taken by ICC in their Annual General Meeting in July?
ICC has taken the following key decisions in its Annual General Meeting.
No plan to reduce ODIs to 40 overs.No immediate plan to expand WTC to 12 teams.USA Cricket and Canada Cricket remain suspended.Mauritius Cricket Federation granted Associate membership.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.