ICC's AGM: Test's Future, Expanded T20 World Cup And USA Cricket Scrutiny
The International Cricket Council's series of meetings starts on Thursday in Singapore, the affluent city-state keen to re-emerge as a major cricket destination.
A new era has started at the governing body after the recent appointment of Sanjog Gupta as chief executive, as I first flagged in January, hot on the heels of Indian compatriot Jay Shah's ascension as ICC chair.
Here are some of the pressing issues expected to be thrashed out at the Annual General Meeting running until Sunday, although final decisions on big matters are usually left until the quarterly meeting later in the year.
Los Angeles Olympic Qualifying
As I reported earlier in the week, momentum is building for T20 qualification tournaments - not rankings - to determine which countries make the cut for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The six-team T20 men's and women's competitions will be played from July 12-29 in Pomona, 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
Allocation via the ICC's T20 rankings at a cut-off date had been deemed as the likely outcome, but it is learned that qualifiers - which would likely include top performing Associate nations - is being strongly considered amid several proposals.
A combination of rankings and qualifying tournaments, a template used in some other Olympic sports, is another option while the U.S. is likely to gain at least one automatic spot as the host nation.
Proponents of rankings argue that it is cost efficient and negates the logistical difficulties of organizing qualifiers amid cricket's increasingly cramped schedule. It is unknown the stances of cricket's power countries of India, Australia and England.
Test Cricket's Future
There is set to be an update on a working group tasked with addressing pressing issues over cricket's three formats, including a radical plan to split Test nations into two divisions.
Discussions over two divisions have so far been informal. Promotion and relegation along with how funds would be distributed loom as sticking points.
'If it's (the plan) on the promotion and relegation basis it will get some backing,' ICC board director and Zimbabwe chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told me in April. 'If it doesn't have that then two divisions is useless. There's no point and no context. We would not support that.
'The funds from the top division need to be shared properly.'
As reported last month in The Telegraph, the World Test Championship final is expected to stay in England with the decision set to be ratified by the board.
ODI Super League/Expanded T20 World Cups
No decisions are expected, but discussions are likely over the future of several major white-ball tournaments.
There are a handful of boards pushing for the revival of the scrapped 13-team ODI Super League although a new qualification pathway has already been approved for the 14-team 2027 World Cup.
There appears no desire to expand the ODI World Cup, but momentum is building to increase the number of teams for the men's T20 World Cup. Twenty teams competed at last year's T20 World Cup and that number will remain the same for next year's edition after 16 teams had participated in the events from 2016-22.
But there is a desire for an expanded 24 teams, at the very least, for future T20 World Cups with the recent qualification of Italy - which generated global headlines - seen as further evidence that cricket's depth is increasing beyond traditional footholds.
T20 World Cup Inquiry
A report looking into whether there was a cost blowout for the U.S. leg of last year's T20 World Cup is believed to be completed. The board is expected to receive an update and may be given recommendations.
Deputy chair Imran Khwaja has helmed the inquiry, which includes an audit into the U.S. leg - which hosted 16 of the 55 matches in cricket's first major event in the world's biggest sports market.
There is a particular focus on New York's modular stadium in Long Island and whether there was a cost blowout on a ground that received criticism for its sluggish drop-in pitch with batting proving particularly difficult.
The ground, which hosted eight matches including the money-spinning India-Pakistan clash, was built in just a few months and pegged at $30 million - as I first reported last April.
The Nassau County International stadium was torn down the day after hosting its final match. There was a shake-up of senior positions at the ICC in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup.
CEC Election
Eight candidates will contest Thursday's Chief Executives' Committee election, with three coveted Associate Member spots up for grabs. Sumod Damodar (Botswana) is the only incumbent to recontest and is tipped to win back a spot on the influential CEC.
Former Hong Kong chief Tim Cutler (Vanuatu), ex USA cricket governing body administrator Sankar Renganathan (Sierra Leone) and Anuraag Bhatnagar (Hong Kong) have been touted as the other frontrunners.
Gurumurthy Palani (France), Stella Siale (Samoa), Gurdeep Klair (Canada) and Sarah Gomersall (Jersey) are also in the running.
USA Cricket On Brink Of Suspension
Embattled USA Cricket is facing suspension of its ICC membership, which would affect funding and playing opportunities.
The governing body was put 'on notice' at last year's AGM due to governance issues, with its funding controlled by the ICC. If deemed to still be non-compliant then it would be suspended and ultimately face expulsion as a member.
There is a lot of scrutiny over the state of American cricket with the Los Angeles Olympics just three years away and the U.S. being a target market for the ICC, which has raised eyebrows among some other Associate members.
Asia Cup Turmoil
While the Asia Cup is an Asian Cricket Council matter, discussions are set to be held on the sidelines over whether the September T20 tournament will go ahead amid a breakdown of relations between rivals India and Pakistan.
As I reported last month, the Asia Cup - a highly lucrative biennial event that essentially bankrolls regional body ACC - is set to be played in the United Arab Emirates if a cancellation can be avoided.
Calls For reviews Into Associate Member Voting/Scorecard
There are calls for reviews into the voting processes for Associate Members and the scorecard, which determines how much funding each country receives from the ICC.
There are a number of measures and assessments to fulfil on the ICC scorecard, but transparency concerns have prompted calls for a review.
New ICC Members
For the first time in several years, the ICC's membership is set to expand with Zambia to return as an Associate after it was suspended in 2019 and ultimately expelled due to 'continued non-compliance'.
East Timor is likely to receive membership for the first time.
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