World Cricket League
The ICC World Cricket League (WCL) was a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status (i.e., teams of Associate status) administered by the International Cricket Council. All Associate Members of the ICC were eligible to compete in the league system, which featured a promotion and relegation structure between divisions. The league system had two main aims: to provide a qualification system for the Cricket World Cup that could be accessed by all Associate Members and as an opportunity for these sides to play international one-day matches against teams of similar standards.
Official logo | |
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | One-Day International List A |
| First edition | 2007 |
| Latest edition | 2019 |
| Tournament format | League system |
| Number of teams | 93 nations |
| Most runs | Peter Gough (2006) |
| Most wickets | Basanta Regmi (118) |
| Website | ICC World Cricket League |
The league began in 2007, where teams were allocated into divisions based on their performance in the qualification tournaments for the 2007 World Cup; the six initial teams in Division One were the teams that had qualified for the 2007 World Cup. At this stage, there were only five divisions. The WCL expanded to eight divisions at one point.
The WCL was a pathway to the Cricket World Cup until 2019. Following the conclusion of the 2019 Division Two tournament, the WCL was replaced by the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 and the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League. The final rankings from the WCL were used to place teams into the two new leagues.[1][2]
Structure
The initial league began in 2007 with seven tournaments over five global divisions, based upon previous world rankings.[3][4] This was expanded into eight separate divisions by 2010. In the first cycle, the number of teams in each tournament varied from six to twelve. With the advent of the second cycle, the number of teams was regularised to six for each tournament, with the exception of the lowest division, Division 8, in which eight teams played. As from 2015, the number of divisions was again reduced to just five.
When most of the divisions are played, two teams will be promoted, two relegated and two remain for the next instalment (normally two years later). At the end of each cycle, a World Cup Qualifier is played. In 2018, this featured the four lowest teams of those holding 'Full' (senior) status, together with six 'Associate' nations – namely the four who were still in Division One, plus the top two from Division Two. The two last-placed teams in that World Cup Qualifier lost their ODI status and were relegated into Division Two.
Regional tournaments, which act as qualifiers for the lowest division of the World League, are administered by the five development regions of the International Cricket Council: Africa, Americas, Asia, East Asia-Pacific, and Europe.[5][3]
Results
Summary
| Cycle | Pre-qualification for | Divisions | World Cup qualification tournament(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–09[6] | 2011 Cricket World Cup | 5 | 2009 Cricket World Cup Qualifier |
| 2009–14[7] | 2015 Cricket World Cup | 8 | 2011–13 ICC World Cricket League Championship, 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier |
| 2012–18[citation needed] | 2019 Cricket World Cup | 8 | 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier |
| 2017–19[citation needed] | League 2, Challenge League → 2023 Cricket World Cup | 5 | 2022 Cricket World Cup Qualifier |
Division results
| Details | Host nation(s) | Final venue | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Result | Runner-up | |||
| 2007–09 ICC World Cricket League – Pathway to the 2011 Cricket World Cup | |||||
| 2007 Division One | Kenya | Nairobi Gymkhana Club, Nairobi | Kenya 158/2 (37.5 overs) | Kenya won by 8 wickets Scorecard | Scotland 155 all out (47 overs) |
| 2007 Division Three | Australia | Gardens Oval, Darwin | Uganda 241/8 (50 overs) | Uganda won by 91 runs scorecard | Argentina 150 all out (46.3 overs) |
| 2007 Division Two | Namibia | Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek | United Arab Emirates 347/8 (50 overs) | United Arab Emirates won by 67 runs scorecard | Oman 280 all out (43.2 overs) |
| 2008 Division Five | Jersey | Grainville, St Saviour | Afghanistan 81/8 (37.4 overs) | Afghanistan won by 2 wickets Scorecard | Jersey 80 all out (39.5 overs) |
| 2008 Division Four | Tanzania | Kinondoni Ground, Dar es Salaam | Afghanistan 179 all out (49.4 overs) | Afghanistan won by 57 runs Scorecard | Hong Kong 122 all out (45.0 overs) |
| 2009 Division Three | Argentina | Belgrano Athletic Club, Buenos Aires | Afghanistan 8 points, +0.971(NRR) | League Table 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine | Uganda 8 points, +0.768(NRR) |
| 2009 WC Qualifier | South Africa | SuperSport Park, Centurion, Gauteng | Ireland 188/1 (42.3 overs) | Ireland won by 9 wickets (scorecard) | Canada 185 all out (48 overs) |
| 2009–14 ICC World Cricket League – Pathway to the 2015 Cricket World Cup | |||||
| 2009 Division Seven | Guernsey | King George V Sports Ground, Castel | Bahrain 207/7 (46.1 overs) | Bahrain won by 3 wickets (scorecard) 22 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine | Guernsey 204/9 (50.0 overs) |
| 2009 Division Six | Singapore | Kallang Cricket Ground, Singapore | Singapore 242/8 (50.0 overs) | Singapore won by 68 runs (scorecard) 5 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine | Bahrain 174 all out (48.4 overs) |
| 2010 Division Five | Nepal | TU Cricket Ground, Kathmandu | Nepal 173/5 (46.5 overs) | Nepal won by 5 wickets (Match report) | United States 172 (47.2 overs) |
| 2010 Division One | Netherlands | VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen | Ireland 233/4 (44.5 overs) | Ireland won by 6 wickets (scorecard) | Scotland 232 (44.5 overs) |
| 2010 Division Four | Italy | Centro Sportivo Dozza, Pianoro | United States 188/2 (21.4 overs) | United States won by 8 wickets (Match report) | Italy 185/9 (50.0 overs) |
| 2010 Division Eight | Kuwait | Kuwait Oil Company Hubara Ground, Ahmadi City | Kuwait 164/4 (33.1 overs) | Kuwait won by 6 wickets (Match report) | Germany 163/8 (50.0 overs) |
| 2011 Division Three | Hong Kong | Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong | Hong Kong 207/6 (47.1 overs) | Hong Kong won by 4 wickets (Match report) | Papua New Guinea 202/9 (50 overs) |
| 2011 Division Two | UAE | DSC Cricket Stadium, Dubai | United Arab Emirates 201/5 (45.3 overs) | United Arab Emirates won by 5 wickets (Match report) | Namibia 200 (49.3 overs) |
| 2011 Division Seven | Botswana | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Kuwait 219/9 (50 overs) | Kuwait won by 72 runs (Match report) | Nigeria 147 (36.5 overs) |
| 2011 Division Six | Malaysia | Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Guernsey 211/8 (49.3 overs) | Guernsey won by 2 wickets (Match report) | Malaysia 208/9 (50 overs) |
| 2012 Division Five | Singapore | Kallang Ground, Singapore | Singapore 164/1 (26.4 overs) | Singapore won by 9 wickets (Match report) | Malaysia 159 (47 overs) |
| 2012 Division Four | Malaysia | Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Nepal 147/2 (28 overs) | Nepal won by 8 wickets (Match Report) | United States 145 (48.1 overs) |
| 2013 Division Three | Bermuda | National Stadium, Hamilton | Nepal 153/5 (39.2 overs) | Nepal won by 5 wickets Scorecard | Uganda 151/8 (50.0 overs) |
| 2011–13 Championship | Various | No final | Ireland 24 points | League Table | Afghanistan 19 points |
| 2014 WC Qualifier | New Zealand | Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln | Scotland 285/5 (50 overs) | Scotland won by 41 runs Scorecard | United Arab Emirates |
| 2012–18 ICC World Cricket League – Pathway to the 2019 Cricket World Cup | |||||
| 2012 Division Eight | Samoa | Faleata Oval No 1, Apia | Vanuatu 222/9 (50 overs) | Vanuatu won by 39 runs (Match report) | Ghana 183 (42.5 overs) |
| 2013 Division Seven | Botswana | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Nigeria 134/4 (32.1 overs) | Nigeria won by 6 wickets Scorecard | Vanuatu 133 (38.4 overs) |
| 2013 Division Six | Jersey | — | Jersey | Playoffs cancelled [1] 12 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine | Nigeria |
| 2014 Division Five | Malaysia | Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Jersey 247/8 (50 overs) | Jersey won by 71 runs Scorecard | Malaysia 176 (44.4 overs) |
| 2014 Division Four | Singapore | Kallang, Singapore | Malaysia 235/7 (50 overs) | Malaysia won by 57 runs Scorecard | Singapore 178 (46.1 overs) |
| 2014 Division Three | Malaysia | Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Nepal 223/10 (49.5 overs) | Nepal won by 62 runs Scorecard | Uganda 161 (44.1 overs) |
| 2015 Division Two | Namibia | Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek | Netherlands 213/2 (41 overs) | Netherlands won by 8 wickets Scorecard | Namibia 212 (49.2 overs) |
| 2015 Division Six | England | County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford | Suriname 239/4 (45.1 overs) | Suriname won by 6 wickets Scorecard | Guernsey 237 (49.5 overs) |
| 2016 Division Five | Jersey | Grainville Cricket Ground, Saint Savior | Jersey 194/7 (50 overs) | Jersey won by 44 runs Scorecard | Oman 150 (45.3 overs) |
| 2016 Division Four | United States | Leo Magnus Cricket Complex, Los Angeles | United States 208 (49.4 overs) | United States won by 13 runs Scorecard | Oman 195/9 (50 overs) |
| 2017 Division Three | Uganda | Entebbe Cricket Oval | Oman 50/2 (4.3 overs) | No result Scorecard (Oman declared winner by virtue of finishing league at top) | Canada 176/3 (38 Overs) |
| 2015–17 Championship | Various | No final | Netherlands 22 points | League Points Table | Scotland 19 points |
| 2018 Division Two | Namibia | Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek | United Arab Emirates 277/4 (50 Overs) | United Arab Emirates won by 7 runs Scorecard | Nepal 270/8 (50 Overs) |
| 2018 WC Qualifier | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Afghanistan 206/3 (40.4 overs) | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets Scorecard | West Indies 204 (46.5 overs) |
| 2017–19 ICC World Cricket League – Pathway to the 2023 Cricket World Cup | |||||
| 2017 Division Five | South Africa | Willowmoore Park, Benoni | Jersey 255 (48 Overs) | Jersey won by 120 runs Scorecard | Vanuatu 135 (36.5 Overs) |
| 2018 Division Four | Malaysia | No final | Uganda 8 points | League Points Table | Denmark 6 points |
| 2018 Division Three | Oman | No final | Oman 10 points | League Points Table | United States 8 points |
| 2019 Division Two | Namibia | Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek | Namibia 226/7 (50 overs) | Namibia won by 145 runs Scorecard | Oman 81 (29 overs) |
Associate one-day rankings
In late 2005, the International Cricket Council ranked the top non-Test nations from 11–30 to complement the Test nations' rankings in the ICC ODI Championship. The ICC used the results from the 2005 ICC Trophy and WCQS Division 2 competition (i.e. the primary qualification mechanisms for the 2007 Cricket World Cup) to rank the nations.
These rankings were used to seed the initial stage of the global World Cricket League. Teams ranked 11–16 were placed into Division 1; teams 17–20 were placed into Division 2; teams 21–24 were placed into Division 3; the remaining teams were placed into the upper divisions of their respective regional qualifiers.
In 2005, six associates were assigned One Day International status, based on their performance at the preceding World Cup Qualifier. In 2017, Afghanistan and Ireland were both promoted to "Full" (test-match) status, leaving only four associate nations with ODI-status: after mid-March 2018 these were Scotland, Netherlands, UAE, and Nepal. Netherlands, as winners of the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship, have qualified for a place in the 2020–22 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. In May 2009, the ICC added a rankings table for the associate and affiliate members containing both global and regional placings. In 2016 this changed to maintain a global list only for the top teams and a set of regional lists for the remaining teams.
Rankings
The global rankings of associate teams according to ICC are published in the table below.[8][9] Teams that have One Day International status are now included on the main ICC ODI Championship and are listed in the order they appear on that table. The other teams are ranked by their finishing position in the most recent qualifying tournament.
The rankings at the end of the WCL:[8]
| Division[a] | Rank | Nation | Region | Regional rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI Status | 13 | Scotland | Europe | 1 |
| 14 | Nepal | Asia | 1 | |
| 15 | United Arab Emirates | Asia | 2 | |
| 16 | Netherlands | Europe | 2 | |
| 17 | Namibia | Africa | 1 | |
| 18 | Oman | Asia | 3 | |
| 19 | Papua New Guinea | EAP | 1 | |
| 20 | United States | Americas | 1 | |
| Division 2 | 21 | Canada | Americas | 2 |
| 22 | Hong Kong | Asia | 4 | |
| Division 3 | 23 | Singapore | Asia | 5 |
| 24 | Kenya | Africa | 2 | |
| 25 | Denmark | Europe | 3 | |
| 26 | Uganda | Africa | 3 | |
| Division 4 | 27 | Malaysia | Asia | 6 |
| 28 | Jersey | Europe | 4 | |
| 29 | Vanuatu | EAP | 2 | |
| 30 | Bermuda | Americas | 3 | |
| Division 5 | 31 | Qatar | Asia | 7 |
| 32 | Italy | Europe | 5 | |
| 33 | Germany | Europe | 6 | |
| 34 | Guernsey | Europe | 7 | |
| 35 | Ghana | Africa | 4 | |
| 36 | Cayman Islands | Americas | 4 |
- ^ Division means the league the team is either currently competing in or will next compete in
Regional rankings
Teams that do not participate in (or have been relegated from) the World Cricket League are ranked by their finishing positions in their respective regional leagues:
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** Not member of ICC, but member of Asian Cricket Council.
See also
- ICC Intercontinental Cup – the equivalent first class competition
- ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier – a competition between associate and affiliate teams for entry into the Twenty20 World Cup
References
- ^ "New qualification pathway for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup approved". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Associates pathway to 2023 World Cup undergoes major revamp". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ a b . ICC. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ Lyall, Rob (10 September 2006). . CricketEurope. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "ICC World Cricket League Division 1–5 Structure for 2006–2009". ICC. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Structure for 2006-2009" (PDF). CricketEurope. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Pepsi ICC World Cricket League – Structure for 2009 – 2013" (PDF). CricketEurope. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Associate ODI Ranking Table". icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ "ICC AM RANKINGS". ICC. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
External links
- ICC World Cricket League