The men’s Cricket World Cup is due for yet another format adjustment when it is hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. The International Cricket Council has ratified a complex 14-team setup, which swiftly narrows the field down to 12 teams right at the start.

In contrast to the previous two tournaments where 10 sides competed in a round-robin league to determine four semi-finalists, the 2027 version will kick off with the three lowest-ranked qualifiers among the 14 engaging in a so-called Super series. Just one of these sides will advance to the primary tournament.

Following that, the competition splits into two groups of six, where the top three from each group along with the best-performing team overall advance to a Super 7 stage. This phase involves all teams playing each other and determines the four teams for the semi-finals. The event will feature 57 matches beginning on 4 October and concluding with the final on 21 November.

The ICC has stated that these adjustments will provide more context, competitiveness and consequence to the event, yet the chance for two clashes between India and Pakistan, which generate significant broadcast income, could be a key factor in the decision.

Despite expanding the field from 10 to 14 teams, the decision to eliminate two sides after only two matches each will likely frustrate developing cricket nations. The initial concept involved starting with two groups of seven, but worries over meaningless matches led to a revision during the recent ICC annual meeting.

In other news, Ben Stokes is scheduled to make his debut appearance for Durham following his retirement from international duty as their One-Day Cup season starts with an away fixture against Derbyshire next Tuesday. This marks the all-rounder’s return to 50-over cricket since his participation in the 2023 World Cup held in India.

Stokes ended his England career due to a diminished interest in the highest level of the game but plans to remain active in domestic cricket for at least the next 18 months. Although he cannot feature in this summer’s Hundred competition because he did not participate in the auction, he is likely to pursue options in the franchise T20 leagues during the coming winter.