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[Saba Sports News] The ICC Board convened in Dubai this week with a primary focus on shaping the future structure and context of international bilateral cricket. Both the Board and the Chief Executives’ Committee engaged in extensive discussions, exploring various aspects such as providing enhanced context for international white-ball matches, assessing the feasibility of scheduling windows, and outlining the commercial principles supporting the Future Tours Programme (FTP).
ICC Chair Greg Barclay emphasized the significance of these meetings in deliberating the long-term trajectory of the international game. While acknowledging the complexity of the issues at hand, there’s a commitment to exploring avenues for delivering greater context, with further deliberations slated for upcoming sessions.
Among the decisions made, the ICC Board confirmed the permanent inclusion of the stop clock in all ODIs and T20Is, citing notable time-saving benefits observed during the trial period. Consequently, the stop clock will be mandatory in all men’s ODI and T20I matches between Full Members from 1 June 2024, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Additionally, playing conditions for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 were approved, incorporating reserve days for the semi-finals and final. In the group stage and Super Eight series, a minimum of five overs must be bowled to the team batting second to constitute a game, while in the knockout stages, a minimum of ten overs will be required.
The qualification process for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was also endorsed. With India and Sri Lanka hosting the event, 12 automatic qualifiers will include the joint hosts and the top eight teams from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The remaining spots (between 2-4, depending on host finishing positions) will be filled from the next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table as of 30 June 2024, while the remaining eight teams will emerge from Regional Qualifiers.