ICC
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The ICC has introduced a new international competition, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, in order to ‘bring context’ to One-Day International (ODI) cricket.

The Super League will feature all 12 ICC full members alongside the Netherlands, after qualifying via the ICC World Cricket Super League 2015-17. Additionally the competition will have a direct influence on the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup as the top seven teams will automatically qualify for the tournament.

England’s series against Ireland on July 30 will be the inarguable fixture of the new competition which is designed to add more interest to one-day matches.

Geoff Allardice, ICC General Manager, Cricket Operations, stated: “We are delighted to get the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League underway with World Cup winners England against Ireland.

“The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake. The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.”

“The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important.”

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was one of the organisation’s recent rescheduled events due to the continued issues with coronavirus globally. However, the competition has only been moved by a few months to October with the new date confirmed early in order to ‘bring clarity to the calendar’, according to ICC.

Further updates on the Super League’s fixture list following England vs Ireland is expected to be shared after a discussion with ICC Member Boards.

Eoin Morgan, England captain, commented: “We’re looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League. Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord’s, but it’s nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament.

“I’m sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we’re looking forward to the challenge.” 

Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland captain, added: “It’s a privilege to be playing in the inaugural series of the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League. It is obviously going to be a huge challenge taking on the team that won the World Cup just a year ago but we have prepared well and have taken confidence from our form over the early months of 2020.”

“What is important is that we are getting back on the field. I hope international cricket’s return is steady during these challenging times.”

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