The International Cricket Council (ICC) was founded at Lord's on 15 June 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference, [1] with Australia, England, and South Africa as its founding members.
In the beginning, only countries within the Commonwealth could join. [2] India, New Zealand and the West Indies joined in 1926, and Pakistan joined in 1953 after the partition of India. [3] In 1961, South Africa resigned from the Conference due to their leaving the Commonwealth, [2] but they continued to play Test cricket until their international exile in 1970. [4]
The Imperial Cricket Conference was renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, with new rules permitting countries from outside the Commonwealth to be elected into the governing body for the first time: Fiji and the USA became the first associate member nations that year. [2]
In 1981, Sri Lanka became the first associate member to be elected a full member, returning the number of Test-playing nations to seven. In 1989, the ICC was again renamed, this time to the International Cricket Council. [2] South Africa was re-elected as a full member of the ICC in 1991, with Zimbabwe elected in 1992, [3] and Bangladesh elected in 2000. [3]
On 22 June 2017, Ireland and Afghanistan were granted full member (and Test) status, bringing the number of full members to 12. [5]
As of November 2023, there are 108 ICC members, with 12 full members and 96 associate members, 8 of which have ODI status. [6]
The membership committee will consider all future requests for membership – full and associate – against an objective set of criteria. There was previously a third level, affiliate membership, which was abolished in June 2017, with all existing affiliate members becoming associate members, [7] and introducing a two-tier hierarchy (full members and associate members): any new member elected to the ICC would be an associate member, with the possibility of promotion to full member status based on ongoing performance in international competition.
From July to October 2019, the ICC suspended Zimbabwe Cricket due to government interference, the first time this had occurred with a full member side. [8] [9] [10] From November 2023 to January 2024, the ICC suspended Sri Lanka Cricket due to government interference in the board. [11]
Full members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or a group of associated countries representing a geographical area.
All full members have a right to send a representative team to play official Test matches, have full voting rights at meetings of the ICC, and are automatically qualified to play ODIs and T20Is. [2] The West Indies cricket team is a combined team representing 15 countries and territories from the Caribbean, while the English cricket team represents both England and Wales and the Irish cricket team represents all of the island of Ireland.
Of these 12 nations, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland played as associate members before being elected as full members.
In April 2021, ICC granted permanent Women's Test status to all the full member nations. [12]
Later in 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan and promptly banned women from sport; consequently, there have been calls to suspend Afghanistan's ICC membership. [13] In 2023, Australia withdrew from a one-day series against Afghanistan to protest the Taliban's oppression of women in the country. [14] The same year, Human Rights Watch called for Afghanistan's suspension. [15] The Women's team, which was dissolved in 2021, has since written to the ICC requesting the formation of a refugee team based in Australia. [16]
Reference: ICC Men's Rankings, ICC Women's Rankings, 23 October 2021
Associate members are countries where cricket is firmly established and organised, but which do not qualify for full membership. [2] There are 96 associate members. [17]
Until 2019, all associates were eligible to play in the World Cricket League, a series of international one-day cricket administered by the ICC. [18] From 2019 onwards this was replaced by the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 and ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League. [19] There are also ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier events forming a qualification process for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup: until April 2018, only the qualified teams were awarded Twenty20 International status. [20]
In April 2018, the ICC announced T20I status for all its members from 1 July 2018 for the women's game, and from 1 January 2019 for the men's game. [21]
†Denotes members that are currently suspended by the ICC.
The ICC granted men's One Day International status to its associate members based on their success in the World Cricket League; the World Cricket League was replaced in 2019 and ODI status now goes exclusively to all teams in the newly created ICC Cricket World Cup Super League and ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. [104]
The Associate teams who currently hold men's ODI status are:
Team | Governing body | ODI status since | Region | Current ODI ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Cricket Canada | 2023 | Americas | 17 |
Namibia | Cricket Namibia | 2019 [105] | Africa | 16 |
Nepal | Cricket Association of Nepal | 2018 [2] | Asia | 15 |
Netherlands | Royal Dutch Cricket Association | 2018 [2] | Europe | 14 |
Oman | Oman Cricket | 2019 [106] | Asia | 19 |
Scotland | Cricket Scotland | 2018 [2] | Europe | 13 |
United Arab Emirates | Emirates Cricket Board | 2018 | Asia | 20 |
United States | USA Cricket | 2019 | Americas | 18 |
Netherlands ensured they would regain ODI status after the completion of the 2018 World Cup Qualifier, by winning the 2015–2017 World Cricket League. The next three highest placed associates in the qualifier (UAE, Scotland and Nepal) also gained ODI status. In June 2018, Scotland and UAE were added to the main ODI rankings list, with Nepal joining them in January 2019. [107] Netherlands were also added afterwards after playing enough games to gain a ranking.
Four additional teams gained ODI status after the conclusion of the World Cricket League Division Two tournament in April 2019. [104] These teams were Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea and USA. [104]
In April 2021, ICC granted permanent Women's One Day International status to all the full-member teams. [108] On 25 May 2022, five Associate teams were granted Women's ODI status by the International Cricket Council. [109]
Team | Governing body | ODI status since | Region | Current ODI ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|
Netherlands | Royal Dutch Cricket Association | 2022 | Europe | 12 |
Papua New Guinea | Cricket PNG | 2022 | East Asia-Pacific | - |
Scotland | Cricket Scotland | 2022 | Europe | - |
Thailand | Cricket Association of Thailand | 2022 | Asia | 9 |
United States | USA Cricket | 2022 | Americas | - |
In April 2018, the ICC announced T20I status for all members from 1 January 2019. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between ICC members since 1 January 2019 have been eligible for full T20I status. [110] [21]
There are six countries who were associate and/or affiliate members of the International Cricket Council, but were expelled from the ICC:
Team | Region | ICC membership period |
---|---|---|
Brunei | Asia | 2002–2015 [111] |
Cuba | Americas | 2002–2013 |
Morocco | Africa | 1999–2019 [112] [113] |
Russia | Europe | 2012–2022 [31] |
Tonga | East Asia-Pacific | 2000–2014 [114] |
Zambia | Africa | 2003–2021 [68] |
There were two combined teams who were associate members of the International Cricket Council, but were subsequently dissolved.
Regional bodies aim to organise, promote and develop the game of cricket in their respective ICC regions.
These are the current bodies:
The regional body for Europe was disestablished following which ICC took over operations:
Two further regional bodies were dissolved following the creation of the African Cricket Association:
The International Cricket Council, a.k.a.ICC, is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body was renamed as the International Cricket Conference and adopted its current name in 1987. ICC has its headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Bangladesh men's national cricket team, commonly known as The Tigers, is the national cricket team of Bangladesh, administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). They are a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status.
The United States men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United States in international cricket. The team was formerly organized by the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1965. In June 2017, the USACA was expelled by the ICC due to governance and financing issues, with the U.S. team being temporarily overseen by ICC Americas until a new sanctioning body was established. In January 2019, associate membership was officially granted to USA Cricket.
The Hong Kong men's national cricket team is the team that represents Hong Kong in international competitions. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1969.
The Scotland national men's cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play most of their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, as well as at other venues around Scotland.
Women's One Day International (ODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was held in England. The first ODI would have been between New Zealand and Jamaica on 20 June 1973, but was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain. Therefore, the first women's ODIs to take place were three matches played three days later.
The Ireland men's cricket team represents All-Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team. The team have a number of home grounds, including Malahide in County Dublin, Stormont, Belfast, Bready in the north-west and Clontarf in Dublin city. A further ground is planned for the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin for 2030. Due to the short season allowed by the Irish climate, and lack of large scale facilities, Ireland also occasionally play 'home matches' in venues in England and further abroad.
The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in men's international cricket. It is a full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status.
The Oman men's national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Oman in international matches and is governed by Oman Cricket, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000, and gained associate status in 2014. The national side has played matches at the Twenty20 International level. On 24 April 2019, Oman achieved One-Day International status for the first time until 2023, after they beat tournament hosts Namibia by four wickets in 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two.
The Papua New Guinea men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Barramundis, is the team that represents the country of Papua New Guinea in international cricket. The team is organised by Cricket PNG, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1973. Papua New Guinea previously had One-Day International (ODI) status, which it gained by finishing fourth in 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Papua New Guinea lost both their ODI and T20I status in March 2018 after losing a playoff match against Nepal during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, a result that earned ODI and T20I status for their opponents. On 26 April 2019, Papua New Guinea defeated Oman to secure a top-four finish in the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two and reclaim their ODI status.
Cricket in Nepal is the country's one of the most popular and widely followed sport which has gained popularity over the years. It rapidly grew popularity in the mid 2010s, following the slight successes of the Nepalese cricket team as well as the country's explosive rise in social media and television viewing influence from neighboring country India. It is played by many people throughout the country, especially in the Terai region.
Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi is an Afghan cricketer who has represented his country in all three international formats. He is a right-handed opening batsman and a wicketkeeper. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in August 2009 against the Netherlands.
The Namibia men's national cricket team is the men's cricket team representing the Republic of Namibia in international cricket. It is organised by Cricket Namibia, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1992.
The 2017–18 international cricket season was from September 2017 to April 2018. 28 Test matches, 93 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 44 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) were played during this period. Out of the 30 Test matches that were played four were day/night matches. The day/night Test match between South Africa and Zimbabwe was scheduled to last for only four days in duration, with the last such four-day Test match being played in 1973. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, South Africa leading the ODI rankings, New Zealand leading the Twenty20 rankings, and England women leading the women's rankings. Additionally, the Laws of Cricket 2017 Code came into effect on 1 October 2017, superseding the 6th Edition of the 2000 Code of Laws, with many of the changes in the laws being incorporated into the ICC Standard Playing Conditions.
The 2018 international cricket season was from May 2018 to September 2018. 16 Test matches, 27 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 33 Twenty20 International (T20Is), as well as 14 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 81 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period.
The 2018–19 international cricket season was from September 2018 to April 2019. 34 Test matches, 92 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 74 Twenty20 International (T20Is), as well as 28 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 130 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. In October 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced separate rankings for women's ODIs and T20Is for the first time, with Australia women leading both tables.
The 2019 international cricket season was from May 2019 to September 2019. The 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales took place during this time, starting on 30 May 2019. 10 Test matches, 78 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 109 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), as well as 1 Women's Test, 9 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 130 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in minor series involving associate nations. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. On 3 May, the International Cricket Council (ICC) expanded the men's T20I rankings to include all current Full Member and Associate members of the ICC, featuring 80 teams. In the women's rankings, Australia women lead both the WODI and WT20I tables.
The 2019–20 international cricket season was from September 2019 to April 2020. 29 Test matches, 78 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 145 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), as well as 23 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 61 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were scheduled to be played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in minor series involving associate nations. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. In the women's rankings, Australia women lead both the WODI and WT20I tables. The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia took place during this time, starting on 21 February 2020, with hosts Australia winning the tournament for the fifth time.
The 2021–22 international cricket season took place from September 2021 to April 2022. 29 Tests, 111 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 112 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), 25 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs), 40 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), and two women's Test matches were scheduled to be played during this period. Additionally, a number of other T20I/WT20I matches were also scheduled to be played in series involving associate nations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to cricket around the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Around the world and to varying degrees, leagues and competitions have been cancelled or postponed.