ICC considering two World T20s in four-year cycle; might scrap Champions Trophy

Courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson has revealed that the Champions Trophy, played in a 50-over format, could be scrapped in favour of the World Twenty20 every two years.

Pakistan outplayed defending champions India in the 2017 final and became the new holders of the Champions League trophy at the Oval in London on Sunday.

The event received huge response from global audiences as millions tuned in to catch the action on television and over the internet as Virat Kohli's men lost to their arch-rivals by 180 runs.

According to Richardson, during the ICC annual conference at The Oval, this week, it will be discussed that India might not host the next Champions Trophy in 2021 as there was no guarantee that there would be another edition that year.

"What we want to do is differentiate our global events from each other so that they can be standalone and create maximum interest every time the event happens," Richardson said.

"At this stage, the next Champions Trophy is still scheduled for India in 2021. Whether that gets changed, the consideration has been given to changing to two T20s in a four-year cycle which would mean swapping the Champions Trophy for a World T20."

"The fact is that World T20s do attract a lot of interest, they generate significant revenue for the television companies, but most importantly from our point of view they provide us with an opportunity to give more opportunities to more teams", he added.

"A 16-team World T20 – even a 20-team World T20 – down the line is something that we would like to look at."

"With a 10-team World Cup we're hoping to increase the competitiveness of matches and the standard of the tournament as a whole."

"It might not be necessary to continue with two 50-over tournaments going forward."

"It's never wise to try and make a call too early, but certainly the applications of both are very well founded," said Richardson.

"They both, on the face of it, meet the majority, if not all, of the full member criteria that has been set.

"I'm optimistic that they'll be given serious consideration to have every chance of succeeding."

This week's ICC gathering is also set to decide whether to grant Test status to Ireland and Afghanistan, with an announcement expected on Thursday.