"Super League introduced to bring context to ODI cricket," says ICC

The International Cricket Council on Monday launched a new ODI Super League which will determine qualification for the men's World Cup in 2023 which will kick off with a match between world champions England and Ireland.

The competition will feature 13 teams - 12 ICC Full Members and the Netherlands - who qualified by winning the World Cricket Super League 2015-17. The Super League will see each side play 4 home and 4 away three match series.

Introduced to bring context to One-Day International (ODI) cricket, the Super League will determine qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with the top seven teams automatically booking their spot at the event in India.

"We are delighted to get the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League underway with World Cup winners England against Ireland.

“The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake. The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.”

“The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important,” ICC General Manager Geoff



Allardice said.

The announcement comes nearly a year after the ICC launched the World Test Championship between the 9 top-ranked teams of the world.

"We’re looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League. Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord’s, but it’s nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament.

“I’m sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we’re looking forward to the challenge.

“Ireland are a talented team who have shown over the years that they can beat the best on their day. We look forward to what promises to be an interesting series,” England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan said.

The launch of the Super League was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a number of series cancelled due to restrictions on international travel and lockdowns in various countries to contain the virus.

International cricket finally resumed this month without the presence of spectators when England hosted West Indies in a three-test series.

World champions England will also host the first white-ball internationals when they take on Ireland in the three-match ODI series in a bio-secure environment at Southampton.