Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) on Monday criticised the International Cricket Council’s recent changes to the qualification pathway and format for the Men’s 50-over World Cup.The two European Associate Member boards said they were disappointed that the ICC had made what they described as “significant structural changes” less than 18 months before the tournament.“Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) are deeply disappointed by the International Cricket Council’s recent decision to implement significant structural changes to the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup qualification pathway and tournament format with less than 18 months until the competition begins,” the two boards said in a joint statement.The ICC announced the changes in June as part of a revamp of the structures for its two men’s World Cup tournaments. The changes include the introduction of ‘Super Series’ and ‘Super 7’ rounds at next year’s 50-over World Cup.The tournament will still have 14 teams, as previously planned. However, the three lowest-ranked teams will now first play in a ‘Super Series’ round. Only the team that finishes top of that round will advance to the main 12-team group stage.From the main group phase, the top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across the two groups, will advance to the new ‘Super 7’ round.Scotland and the Netherlands said the changes could affect the growth of Associate Member cricket.“These changes represent a setback to Associate Member cricket and risk undermining the progress made in recent years to grow the global game.”They also questioned the timing and consultation process behind the changes.“Decisions of this significance, particularly those directly affecting Associate Members, should be made clearly following meaningful consultation and with sufficient notice for affected Members to understand and respond to the implications. The timing of these changes, with less than eighteen months until the tournament, has given affected Members limited opportunity to contribute to the process or adapt. We believe greater engagement with Associate Members would have supported a more effective and collaborative approach and help maintain confidence in the qualification pathway,” the joint statement added.The two boards said changing qualification rules during a cycle creates uncertainty for players and teams.“Members and their players invest years in preparing for World Cups, and confidence in those pathways depends on them not changing part-way through a qualification cycle without consultation. Changing those structures at short notice creates significant uncertainty, disrupts planning, and places additional operational and financial pressure on organisations that are already operating with limited resources,” the statement further said.They also highlighted the importance of World Cup participation for Associate Members.“The opportunity to compete at a World Cup provides Associate Members with a unique competitive opportunity to drive investment, inspire players, attract commercial partners and government support, and create moments that capture the imagination of supporters. Some of the most memorable moments in ICC tournaments have come when Associate Members have challenged, and in some cases defeated, Full Members on the world stage. Those performances have always reinforced the principle that success is earned on the field. Our players work incredibly hard with limited resources to earn these opportunities and deserve respect and for their efforts to be rewarded.”The boards said providing Associate Members with opportunities to qualify for major tournaments was important if cricket wanted to expand globally.“Leaders in cricket have consistently spoken about their ambition for the sport to become truly global. Providing meaningful opportunities for emerging nations to qualify for and compete at major events is fundamental to achieving that ambition. Decisions that reduce or limit those opportunities slow the progress being made to expand the game’s reach and appeal and runs counter to those ambitions,” it added.
