T20 World Cup: Early setbacks avoided, but signs international gap is closing

The T20 World Cup came to life this weekend as India and England were among the sides to avoid a major scare by associated countries.

The home side eventually triumphed with a degree of comfort against USA after slumping to 77-6 at the stunned Wankhede Stadium, although the same venue almost witnessed one of the all-time shocks in T20 World Cup history just a day later as Nepal came within five runs of beating England in a nail-biting final.

Nevertheless, they won the hearts of fans around the world for their fearless approach and passionate support from the stands.

The commendable efforts of the associated countries provided a welcome distraction against the backdrop of the off-field politics that dominated the build-up as attention finally turned to the action in what is already proving to be an absorbing 10th edition of the competition.

The wait continues to see who can pull off a massive killing this time, a common feature of previous iterations, but we’re already witnessing signs of an increasingly global format waiting to explode even as the system remains built around one money-driven fixture.

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The promise

The T20 Men’s World Cup may only be a few days old, but it has already produced some fascinating matches, albeit without a major upset.

Despite the opening series of matches all going the way of the higher-ranked side, that doesn’t quite tell the whole story – the Netherlands let a position of control slip away against Pakistan late in the tournament opener, Nepal came within one goal of a stunning victory over England and the US had the pre-tournament favorites on the ropes until an inspired innings from India captain Suryakumar Yadav.

Scotland, Ireland and the UAE have also all shown promise against superior opponents so far, but a combination of lower-order batting depth, some stray bowling and fielding errors have proven costly when matches have been on the line.

Increasing exposure

The ICC is often scrutinized for the way it governs the game, although expanding the number of participants in global events has been a very popular decision.

The ongoing T20 World Cup is the second edition to feature 20 teams competing in the main event, allowing eight qualified associate nations – although the inclusion of Scotland as a late replacement for Bangladesh takes that number to nine.

Even the more traditional 50-over World Cup will return to 14 teams next year – two groups of seven – replacing the more exclusive 10-team Round-Robin format in 2019 and 2023.

However, the T20 format remains the great equalizer, not only as a more enjoyable product for the general public, but also providing the best and most accessible opportunity for smaller nations to be competitive on any given day, given the volatile nature of the format.

Current climate

There may still be plenty of room for progress, but many Associated Nations are on an exciting path in T20I cricket.

The growth of franchise leagues has expanded beyond the leading Test nations, with the UAE’s ILT20 competing alongside Australia’s Big Bash League and South Africa’s SA20 for the overseas talent pool.

US Major League Cricket has also had three successful episodes and has attracted many of the leading white-ball talents with 50% IPL-backed ownership, while the much smaller-scale Nepal Premier League has achieved huge commercial growth as a cricket festival in the region since its inception two years ago.

The European T20 Premier League between three national boards is also set to kick off this summer, with a number of big names and key investors recently unveiled.

While many cricket fans have opposing views on the sheer number of franchise leagues, these developments have certainly provided a platform for domestic players to consistently play high-quality and competitive cricket, although opportunities on the international stage remain somewhat limited.

Most of the Associated Nations played only a handful of T20I matches last calendar year, despite not having to schedule any Test cricket, with many arriving months after their previous international appearance at the T20 World Cup.

Potential

Meanwhile, Nepal and the UAE were the only associated countries at the World Cup to face a top eight ranked team outside the Asia Cup (West Indies and Pakistan respectively) in 2025, while Namibia had a one-off match against second-string South Africa.

Afghanistan’s remarkable rise to full membership in the 2010s is the benchmark countries like Namibia and Nepal are aiming for, with the additional funding that could take them to the next level as a cricketing nation.

However, the potential of Nepali cricket in particular, both on and off the field, is not a true reflection of all associated countries, with Canada and Oman’s opening performances at the World Cup indicative of the mismatches that still exist.

ICC membership upgrades are a rarity – Afghanistan and Ireland (both 2017) are the only new additions since Bangladesh in 2000 – with an emphasis on performance and domestic infrastructure, although with T20 as a vehicle for growth the associated countries would welcome a more equitable distribution than the reported 11.19% of total revenues they share in the current model (88.81% between the 12 full members – more than half of which goes to the Big Three goes).

The future

So how can international cricket continue to facilitate its global expansion in the T20 format?

Well, even on the current trajectory, Associated Nations will consistently improve through their prominence on the global stage, but can more be done to accelerate their development and even open the door for further tournament expansion in the years to come?

The schedule has become one of the biggest talking points in cricket to appropriately accommodate both the saturation of T20 franchise competitions and the World Test Championship, meaning that more fully integrating associated nations within the calendar is a lot easier said than done.

Even bilateral series between full countries have seemingly lost a degree of significance in recent years, but could the established parties help revive that interest by making annual engagements with associated countries and actively supporting their growth?

Imagine the hype and interest surrounding a T20I tri-series in Nepal between the hosts, England and India for example, even if the tourists both sent more development sides due to scheduling constraints.

Franchise cricket

Can franchise cricket also play a role? Domestic players in the ILT20 and MLC already benefit from sharing the dressing room with an influx of high-profile foreign names – the upcoming regulations on the permitted quota of foreign players in an XI up to four (currently nine in the ILT20) will also provide more opportunities for local talent to showcase themselves on the pitch.

There have also been calls for the major leagues such as the IPL, BBL or The Hundred to introduce an Associate ruling that would require each franchise to have at least one player from an emerging country on the roster for greater exposure, who would otherwise likely be overlooked. Although this can be difficult to implement as teams prioritize acquiring more experienced overseas stars.

In international football, despite the introduction of the Nations League as a means of creating more competitive competition between equally matched teams, UEFA’s qualification structure for major tournaments has regularly offered smaller nations the opportunity to test themselves against the best.

The same cannot be said for cricket, and while the future pool of active nations in the Test arena will become increasingly scarce, the T20 format has arguably never been in a stronger position and that presents an opportunity to capitalize by bridging the gap beyond World Cup-inspired storylines every two years.

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