In something different (again), the Park Cricketer is peering into a crystal ball to predict the future of Men’s World Cups. Note that this is 100% satire and is extremely cynical. Please don’t take it seriously and don’t bother sending hate mail. To quote Rainier Wolfcastle, “That’s the Joke!”
The ICC have announced a new structure for Men’s ODI and T20 World Cups .
Starting from the 2028 T20 World Cup, every World Cup will be held in India and tailored to Indian audiences.
By virtue of being the supreme and undisputed cricketing world power, India will gain automatic entry to every World Cup Final.
The other 10 teams (ODI World Cups) and 15 teams (T20 World Cups) will all play India twice (with India playing between 20 and 30 games depending on the format). The team with the best record against India will play India in a best-of-five finals series (just incase the unthinkable happens and India loses one of the finals). All matches – including finals – will be played in Indian primetime to maximise TV ratings in India. As for the other countries, do your best to watch what you can depending on the timezones, because the convenience of Indian fans, broadcasters, and advertisers are all that matters. The only exceptions to India hosting every game are when they play Pakistan in the UAE.
To compensate for the extra games, India will be allowed to name a 40-man squad for every World Cup, with other countries naming 15-man squads.
When India eventually wins the finals series, the ICC’s President For Life Jay Shah will present the trophy to the Indian team and do whatever he damn well pleases with them during the celebrations. Because who’s gonna stop him?
The Gurgler presents stories of the Park Cricketer, where we explore the lower reaches of the great game of cricket from the suburban ovals and rural grounds across Australia.
