As things stand, the teams long since out of the running for the World Cup semi-finals – including England – are still jostling for a top-eight finish and qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
But despite this system being agreed by the boards in late 2021 – albeit not publicly announced by the International Cricket Council at the time – sources have suggested that Disney Star, the television rights holders for global events in India, have designs on the eight- team tournament being a Twenty20 event, not one-day international cricket.
Put simply, the shortest format is what audiences crave these days. With the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA next June and thus a tricky time difference for the majority of eyeballs – day games are likely but still make for a late finish in the subcontinent – changing the 2025 Champions Trophy to 20-over matches would make up for this.
It would not be straightforward. Could a 50-over World Cup seriously dictate qualification for an eight-team T20 event? And if not, would producing eight teams via a different system, such as ranking points, not represent an almighty shifting of the goalposts for the sides currently trying to dodge the bottom two in India?
There is also the question of what this would do to the 50-over format, the future of which was already the source of some debate before this current World Cup. With men’s Champions Trophies slated for 2025 and 2029, and men’s T20 World Cups down for 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030 – plus Twenty20 being the chosen format for the 2028 Olympics – even further saturation would result.
As one broadcast insider put it, this would likely “kill off” the one-day format, even with 50-over World Cup rights already sold in some territories for both the 2027 edition in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; and 2031 in India and Bangladesh. Bilateral ODIs would certainly be further diminished, with countries likely to prioritise the shorter white-ball game during the gaps between the global events.
Logic would suggest the ICC is too far down the line to make the switch for 2025 and a source at the global governing body has said “nothing formal” has been put to its board. But then Disney Star, paying $3bn (£2.44bn) to screen global events between 2023 and the end of 2027 in India, are the governing body’s ultimate masters. And the men’s Champions Trophy, first staged in 1998 as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, has always chiefly been about revenue.
Working on the basis it will survive untouched, the 2025 Champions Trophy – due to be hosted by Pakistan, albeit with the United Arab Emirates possibly staging India matches – has cricketing benefits and not least for a side like England. The current World Cup is likely to be followed by a changing of the guard, with the next generation of white-ball players needing tournament exposure given the lowly status of domestic 50-over cricket.
The next cabs off the rank will be known shortly, with the team director, Rob Key, having returned to India and set to select squads for the white-ball tour of the Caribbean in December. England are scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20s against West Indies, with Jos Buttler having stated his desire to play in – and captain – both legs of the tour.
The 160-run victory over the Netherlands in Pune has eased some of the nervousness for Buttler and England’s limited- overs head coach, Matthew Mott. But Key will still be looking for a full debrief from the pair on a failed campaign that still has Saturday’s encounter with Pakistan at Eden Gardens to come.
Either way, fresh blood is inevitable, certainly among the 50-over squad. Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley – all in the second-string squad that faced Ireland at the end of the summer – will be among those discussed for possible promotions.
