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 arch-rivals 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.
