The ICC in Edinburgh opens a debate on the most sensitive issue in modern cricket: how to reshape the global calendar
In Edinburgh, Scotland, this week the focus will be on a topic that has no direct sporting result, but could in the long term change the way cricket is played, sold and followed around the world. At the annual conference of the International Cricket Council, according to a Guardian report, the 12 full ICC members will discuss possible reforms of the global calendar, including the idea of a T20 World Club Championship, the introduction of more clearly defined windows for individual formats and a possible change to one-day cricket. According to Cricbuzz, the conference is scheduled in Edinburgh from 8 to 11 July 2026, and it should be led by ICC chairman Jay Shah. On its official website, the ICC states that Shah assumed the office of chairman on 1 December 2024, which gives this conference additional weight because it is being held at a time when the leadership of world cricket is expected to provide a clearer response to the growth of franchise leagues. The discussion is still at an early stage and, for now, there is no officially confirmed decision on a new competition or a format change. Still, the very fact that such broad proposals are on the agenda shows that global cricket is facing the question of how to protect the international game while at the same time accepting the commercial strength of T20 leagues.
Why the calendar has become the central issue in world cricket
Cricket has undergone a profound change over the past two decades: alongside Test cricket and one-day matches, the T20 format has become the fastest-growing global product, and franchise leagues have opened up new sources of income for players and boards. In practice, this has created a calendar in which international series, ICC tournaments, domestic championships and commercial T20 leagues often compete for the same dates and the same players. The ICC's official men's Future Tours Programme for the period 2023 – 2027 has already increased the volume of international cricket: according to the ICC, the 12 members in that cycle have a total of 777 international matches, including 173 Tests, 281 ODIs and 323 T20I matches. That figure explains why the discussion in Edinburgh is not only about adding a new tournament, but also about the question of how much space remains at all for the three international formats. If the international calendar continues to expand without clearer priorities, the risk is that individual series will lose sporting context, while players will increasingly be forced to choose between international duties and lucrative club engagements. According to the available information, the ICC therefore wants a broader strategic framework, not just a technical correction of the existing schedule.
The T20 World Club Championship as a possible response to the rise of franchise cricket
One of the most prominent proposals being discussed is the creation of a T20 World Club Championship, a competition that would bring together the best franchise or club teams from different leagues. According to the Guardian, the ICC is considering the possibility of taking on a role in organising such an event, although for now there is no confirmed format, list of participants, window or commercial model. The idea is not entirely new: a similar ambition was held by the Champions League Twenty20, a competition jointly run by the Indian, Australian and South African cricket boards. In 2015, the BCCI announced that the Champions League Twenty20 would be discontinued immediately, and the decision was explained by limited public support and weaker audience interest. That experience is an important reminder that the popularity of the T20 format alone does not guarantee the success of a global club competition. In today's context, however, the market is different: the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, The Hundred, SA20, Caribbean Premier League and other competitions have created more recognisable brands, developed an international network of owners and increased the value of the short format. If the ICC wants to launch a world club championship, the key questions will not be only sporting, but also governance-related: who controls the rights, how participants are selected, how much existing leagues are respected and whether national teams will remain the priority in periods of greatest workload.
Fixed windows could bring order, but also open a dispute over control of revenue
The second important element of the discussion concerns fixed or protected windows in the calendar. According to the Guardian, among the ideas are more clearly defined periods for Test, ODI and T20 cricket, and one example mentioned is the possibility that ODI matches could be concentrated in the 18-month period before the World Cup in that format. Such an approach could help viewers, players, television partners and national boards because each format would receive a clearer context and a more recognisable period of the year. In its 2025 report on the structure of the global game, the World Cricketers’ Association stated that the current system is too uneven and called for a clearer global calendar and better protection of international cricket. According to its own announcement, the WCA included 64 key stakeholders from the sport in preparing the report, and highlighted the creation of a more sustainable model for men's and women's cricket as one of its main goals. Still, implementing such windows is not simple because the most powerful members, the biggest leagues and media-rights owners have different interests. If the ICC tried to take greater control over bilateral or multilateral series, it would probably encounter resistance from boards that generate a large part of their revenue through their own commercial arrangements.
The ODI format is again looking for a clear purpose
A particularly sensitive part of the reform concerns the future of ODI cricket, a format that was for decades the commercial centre of the international game, but today finds itself between the tradition of Test cricket and the speed of T20 matches. According to the Guardian, one of the ideas in the discussion is the possibility that ODI matches could be played mostly in the period immediately before the World Cup, which would give the format a clearer qualifying and preparatory purpose. A more radical possibility of shortening one-day matches is also mentioned, but for now it has not been officially confirmed what kind of model would be acceptable to ICC members. Such a change would have major consequences for television schedules, statistical records, audience habits and the way national teams prepare for the World Cup. Supporters of reform could argue that a shorter or more concentrated ODI calendar would increase the importance of every match. Critics, on the other hand, could warn that an excessive reduction of ODI cricket would further weaken a format that still has important historical and competitive value. For now, the most precise thing to say is that ODI cricket is the subject of serious strategic discussion, but not that its future has already been decided.
The World Test Championship and the question of including a wider circle of members
The debate about the calendar cannot be separated from the future of the World Test Championship, a competition through which the ICC tried to give additional context to the longest format. According to the Guardian, the annual conference should also consider the possibility of expanding the WTC to 12 national teams for the 2027 – 2029 cycle, with Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan potentially being included in the system. Such a change would open the question of whether one-off Tests can carry points in the championship, because not all members have the same number of long series or the same financial conditions for regularly playing the most expensive format. On its official website, the ICC states that full members have the right to play official Test matches, and that there are currently 12 of them, while the rest of the global structure consists of associate members. Including a wider circle of national teams could strengthen the sporting legitimacy of the WTC, but it would at the same time require a realistic schedule, appropriate funding and clear scoring rules. According to the available information, a final decision on the WTC format is expected later, and not immediately at the beginning of the discussion in Edinburgh. This shows that the ICC is trying to connect the question of the calendar with the question of competitive balance, rather than viewing each format separately.
Big members, commercial rights and the limits of the ICC's power
The biggest political and economic challenge of any reform will be the relationship between the ICC and the most influential national boards. According to the Guardian, series involving two of the three most commercially valuable national teams, India, England and Australia, retain special market value, while many other bilateral series are more difficult to sell to a global audience. This creates an imbalance: smaller boards need more secure revenues and more meaningful competitive structures, while the biggest boards want to retain control over the windows and rights that bring them the greatest value. If fixed windows are introduced, they could help planning and reduce overlaps, but they could at the same time limit the flexibility of boards that already have long-term commercial contracts. If a global club championship is introduced, it could increase revenue and audiences, but it would open the question of its relationship with existing leagues. If the ODI format is shortened or the WTC is restructured, the changes would have to be convincing enough to be accepted by both fans and broadcasters. That is precisely why Edinburgh is important: not because a final announcement of a new order is expected there, but because it is where the willingness of members to discuss a system that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain without compromise is being tested.
The Olympic context further increases the pressure for a clearer schedule
The broader context of reform changed further with cricket's entry into the Olympic programme of Los Angeles 2028. The ICC and the International Olympic Committee announced on 29 June 2026 the qualification pathway for LA28, including the first ICC Olympics Qualifier, and according to the ICC, six national teams each will take part in the men's and women's T20 tournaments. Cricket's Olympic return, the first since 1900, increases the need for a calendar that is understandable beyond the sport's traditional markets. If cricket wants to use the Olympic stage to expand towards new audiences, it must have a structure in which it is clearly known when international tournaments are played, when franchise leagues are played and how individual competitions fit into the wider pyramid. This is especially important for associate members, because they often depend on regional qualifiers, ICC programmes and limited international windows. In that sense, the discussion in Edinburgh is not only a question of elite cricket and the biggest markets. It also concerns whether the sport can build a global model in which the growth of T20 franchises does not push international cricket aside, but complements it.
What can realistically be expected after Edinburgh
According to the available information, immediate changes should not be expected before the expiry of existing obligations in the Future Tours Programme and already agreed global events. The ICC's men's FTP applies to the period 2023 – 2027, and a large share of major tournaments and commercially most important series has already been planned in the wider cycle up to 2031. This means that the discussion on reform is likely to be a process, not a one-off decision. Possible outcomes include more detailed development of a world club T20 competition, a draft for format-separated calendar windows, more precise proposals for ODI cricket and a new decision on the World Test Championship. But everything will depend on whether members can align sporting goals, players' interests, broadcasters' demands and the commercial power of franchise leagues. For now, the most important fact is that the ICC and the full members are discussing these topics as part of a unified strategy. Edinburgh is thus becoming the venue for one of the most important debates in modern cricket: how to preserve the three international formats, recognise the reality of the global T20 market and create a calendar that will make sense for players, fans, boards and new audiences around the world.
Sources:
- The Guardian – report on proposals for reform of the ICC global calendar, including the T20 World Club Championship, fixed windows, the ODI format and the World Test Championship (link)
- Cricbuzz – announcement of the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh from 8 to 11 July 2026 and context of the conference leadership (link)
- International Cricket Council – official profile of ICC chairman Jay Shah and the date of assuming office (link)
- International Cricket Council – official data on ICC membership, full and associate members (link)
- International Cricket Council – official announcement of the men's Future Tours Programme 2023 – 2027 and the number of matches by format (link)
- World Cricketers’ Association – announcement of the Global Game Structure Report and recommendations on a clearer global calendar (link)
- BCCI – official announcement on the discontinuation of the Champions League Twenty20 competition (link)
- International Cricket Council – official announcement of the qualification pathway and cricket format for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (link)