New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has welcomed the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) revamped formats for the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup, but believes the governing body must do more to accelerate the growth of cricket beyond its established nations.

Reacting to the ICC’s announcement, Ashwin said the structural changes improve competitiveness but stressed that expanding opportunities for emerging teams will be crucial if the sport is to fulfil its Olympic ambitions.

The ICC recently confirmed sweeping changes to the formats of its two flagship white-ball tournaments. The 2027 ODI World Cup will feature a new three-stage structure beginning with a preliminary Super Series before progressing to a group phase, a Super 7 round and the knockout stage. Meanwhile, the 2028 T20 World Cup will retain 20 teams but adopt five initial groups followed by a Super 10 stage and Eliminators before the semi-finals.

While backing the intent behind the revised competition structures, Ashwin argued that tournament reforms alone will not be enough to bridge the gap between Full Members and Associate nations.

“The ICC’s changes to the fixture format for the 2027 ODI World Cup and 2028 T20 World Cup make sense from a competitiveness standpoint. But if the final goal is to grow the game, there needs to be a stronger pathway for emerging nations,” Ashwin wrote on X.

Ashwin suggested that the international calendar itself should evolve to provide associate teams with consistent exposure against higher-ranked opponents instead of limiting their opportunities to qualification events.

“Teams like the Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, USA and Ireland need more meaningful matches ( FOR EXAMPLE: getting added as the third team into every bilateral series ), not just qualification tournaments,” he added.

The former India spinner added that broadening the competitive landscape would ultimately benefit cricket on the global stage, particularly with the sport set to return to the Olympic Games.

“Let’s not forget that collective growth will make this sport a spectacle at the Olympics,” Ashwin stated.

–IANS

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