Cricket World Cup revamp could see extra Pakistan-India clash

LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday a revamped format for the men’s 2027 one-day international World Cup that could lead to an additional fixture between Pakistan and India.

While next year’s edition in southern Africa remains a 14-team competition, the three lowest-ranked qualifiers will now take part in a preliminary round with just one of them progressing to a 12-strong main group stage.

That will now feature just two pools of six, with a new ‘super seven’ stage replacing the previous ‘super six’ round-robin.

Significantly, there will be no quarter-finals with the tournament denied the further jeopardy and interest that comes with an extra round of clear-cut knockout matches.

An additional team in the round-robin phase, however, increases the prospects of an extra match between India and Pakistan.

The passion for cricket in the sub-continent, which in turn generates huge broadcast rights and commercial revenues for the ICC, makes a match between India and Pakistan the most lucrative in the sport.

But India and Pakistan no longer meet outside of ICC events, with political tensions between the bordering nations meaning they are effectively barred by their own governments from facing each other. 

The last bilateral series India played in Pakistan was in 2006 (Test and ODI series).

In a statement, the ICC insisted the new World Cup structure “creates greater context, competitiveness and consequence during the event.”

Another change approved at the ICC’s recent board meeting in Edinburgh will see the next men’s T20 World Cup in 2028 remain a 20-team competition, but with 10 sides qualifying from the group stage rather than eight.

The two best performing teams in the ‘Super 10’ will automatically secure a semi-final spot, with a new eliminator stage to decide their opponents.