ICC ratifies new qualification plan for 2023 World Cup in Board meeting
NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council approved a new World Cup qualification process at its Board meeting held in Singapore on Saturday.
From next year, a new leaguebased qualification structure for the ODI World Cup will be introduced. It will see 372 qualification matches played over two-three years in the build-up to the 2023 tournament to be played in India, an ICC release said. The 2019 World Cup in England will be a 10-team affair.
The new qualification will be split into three parts, Super League, League 2 and Challenge League. Eight teams will qualify from the proposed 13-team ODI league. This Super League will comprise 12 full members and Netherlands. The other two teams will play qualifiers.
The Board also decided to tighten current rules concerning “protection of children and vulnerable adults as well as more widely in relation to protection against sexual harassment.”
With attendance dwindling for Tests, ICC has urged members to prune budgets for staging bilateral series. The issue concerned teams touring with a bloated contingent and the hosts are forced to bear the full expenses. This often leads to the hosts raising ticket prices, which discourages the fans. “It was agreed that in light of rising costs of cricket globally, members would make significant efforts to making bilateral cricket more affordable with a view to long-term sustainability,” ICC said. A BCCI official said: “Suppose Australia is touring India and let’s say they pay $250 DA/ person. If there is a MOU, BCCI will have to pay that. If the amount agreed is $200, then balance is paid by CA.”
SHAKY START
Chasing 178, Mumbai lost Prithvi Shaw (8) on the third ball of the innings after he smashed two consecutive boundaries off Navdeep Saini.
Ajinkya Rahane (10), captain Shreyas Iyer (7) and Suryakumar Yadav (4) all departed cheaply to Saini (3/53) and Kulwant Khejrolia, leaving Mumbai in trouble at 40/4 in 7.4 overs.
Later, Tare starred with an 89-ball 71 that included 13 boundaries and a six and in the company of Siddesh Lad (48) stitched a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket to seal the deal for Mumbai with 15 overs to spare.
Tare had his heart in his mouth in the 19th over when he survived a caught behind deci-
sion. Repeated TV replays showed the ball had bounced before nestling in Delhi wicketkeeper Unmukt Chand’s gloves.
Tare eventually fell to leftarm spinner Manan Sharma, trapped in front of the wicket in the 31st over but by then he had already taken Mumbai within sniffing distance of win.
Lad’s valiant 48 came off 68 deliveries with four boundaries and two sixes but he fell two short of his half-century, caught by Dhruv Shorey off Lalit Yadav with Mumbai scoreboard reading 176/6.
Tare also survived a run out appeal at the non-striker’s end after the umpires could not come to a conclusion that the straight drive by Lad had grazed the boot of bowler Subodh Bhati and hit the stumps.