The 50-over format is set for its biggest overhaul as the ICC draws up plans for a new league system involving 13 teams.
According to The Telegraph, the plans are going to be discussed at the ICC’s annual general meeting later this month, and it will come into force from 2019.
The aim is to give more context to bilateral tours and spark greater interest into a format that fits awkwardly in between Tests and T20 cricket.
It is proposed teams will play a three-match series, either home or away, against every other country, amounting to 36 ODIs each over a three-year basis.
The league would be used to determine automatic qualification, and seedings, for the World Cup, and the side finishing bottom will face relegation to the World Cricket League Championship.
Teams would also be free to organise extra ODIs, but these would not count towards the league.
Afghanistan and Ireland look set to join the ten Test teams in the league, with the 13th side unclear at this stage. The Netherlands are currently top of the WCL Championship, but the ICC are believed to be impressed by the growth of the game in Nepal, while Scotland will be pressing for inclusion, too.
Senior figures at the ICC believe the proposals will provide one-day cricket with new relevance, which the format lacks outside the World Cup, as it looks to combat the increasing popularity of T20s.
This will in turn help generate more interest and revenue from broadcasters in bilateral series, which have lost value in recent years.
The ICC will also be discussing the potential for a two-divisional structure in Test cricket at the meeting in Edinburgh, with promotion and relegation every two years. The plans could be agreed at the start of July as plans for major restructuring of the game as a whole look set to take place.
The AGM is also expected to rubber stamp proposals for a World Twenty20 to be held every two years from 2018.
Picture: Getty/Matthew Lewis
