ICC Board Meeting: Cricket Canada Suspended, New World Cup Qualification System Approved

The ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad on 31 May produced several decisions for international cricket. Members backed trials to reduce time lost to bad light in Tests, reshaped qualification paths for upcoming global tournaments, and confirmed India would not travel to Pakistan for the Women's T20 World Cup 2028, with those matches instead at a neutral venue.

The meeting took place alongside the 2026 Indian Premier League final at Narendra Modi Stadium, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru faced Gujarat Titans. Shah chaired the session, which gathered senior ICC figures to review regulations, member conduct and the rapid growth of franchise leagues that are now influencing the international calendar.

ICC rule changes and bad light trials

Match conditions in Test and T20I cricket received detailed attention. The Board supported experiments with pink balls when poor light is expected, and also approved new flexibility for head coaches during breaks in play. Management was instructed to cooperate with Marylebone Cricket Club on research into better lighting technology for officials and venues.

The ICC statement on the bad light proposal confirmed several elements: "Trialling the use of a pink ball in Test Matches, with prior agreement from both teams, to maximise play in case of anticipated bad light. Undertaking research on lighting technology for match officials and venues to reduce lost play due to poor light, with ICC co-funding R&D projects alongside Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Enabling match officials to access Hawk-Eye data when considering reporting an illegal bowling action," said the ICC statement.

ICC playing conditions, T20I intervals and coaching access

Further updates affected coaching access and playing rhythms, particularly in T20 internationals. "Updates to the Playing Conditions to allow head coaches or their designees to consult with teams during scheduled drinks intervals, mandate 15-minute intervals in T20I matches, and require batters to be ready at the resumption of play," the ICC statement added, confirming a more structured approach to short-format breaks.

Alongside these changes, officials gained expanded technological support. Hawk-Eye data will be available when considering suspected illegal bowling actions, giving umpires and match referees more evidence. This addition aims to improve consistency in reports while still leaving the final judgement with human officials on the field and in the match referee’s office.

ICC women's events and Women's T20 World Cup 2028 pathway

Women's cricket schedules were reshaped, with three major decisions. The ICC Women's Champions Trophy moved from its original June-July 2027 window to a new slot from 14 to 28 February 2027. A fresh development event, the ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy 2026, was also cleared as a pilot ten-team tournament.

The governing body described the new event structure in detail: "ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy 2026: The ICC will pilot the Women's Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 as a 10-team event featuring five Full Members and five Associate Members, selected based on rankings and prior T20 World Cup qualification," wrote ICC. This competition is intended to provide more exposure to developing teams.

The Women's T20 World Cup 2028, awarded to the Pakistan Cricket Board, will operate under a defined qualification plan and a special arrangement for India. "ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2028 - Qualification Pathway: The Board endorsed the recommended qualification pathway for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2028, to be hosted by the PCB, with India matches played at a neutral venue. "Automatic qualification for 10 teams, including the top eight teams from the ICC WT20WC 2026, the host (if not already qualified), and the next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Women's T20I rankings as of 6 July 2026. The remaining two teams will be determined through a 10-team Global Qualifier underpinned by Regional Qualifiers, with regional allocations to be confirmed at the ICC July meetings," said an ICC statement.

Key tournament information discussed at the ICC meeting is summarised below.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup global qualifier structure

On the men's side, the ICC decided to shift from a system based purely on regional qualifiers, which operated for the 2024 and 2026 Men's T20 World Cups. Future tournaments will include a central global qualifying event featuring 16 teams, with management now designing the exact structure before the next round of ICC meetings.

The formal wording recorded: "The ICC Board approved the recommendation to establish a Global Qualifier for ICC Men's T20 World Cups. Management has been tasked with finalising a competition structure and qualification pathway for a 16-team Global Qualifier. This will be presented to the relevant Committees for consideration at the next round of ICC meetings," said ICC.

ICC suspension of Cricket Canada and controlled funding

Governance standards were a major topic, and Cricket Canada faced immediate suspension. "Cricket Canada: The ICC Board resolved to suspend Cricket Canada from ICC membership with immediate effect due to serious breaches of its membership obligations. In taking this decision, the ICC Board was mindful of the importance of protecting the interests of Canadian players and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by the governance issues affecting the national governing body. Accordingly, Canadian national representative teams will continue to be eligible to participate in ICC events during the period of suspension," ICC explained.

The Board set conditions to keep Canadian players active while addressing domestic governance issues. "To support the continued participation and development of the national teams, Cricket Canada will be permitted to access ICC funding through a controlled funding mechanism, under the oversight of ICC management, solely for approved national team programmes. "The ICC will also provide Cricket Canada with a set of reinstatement conditions aimed at addressing the governance and administrative issues identified by the Board. The progress against these conditions will be monitored by the ICC Normalisation Committee, supported by ICC management, with reinstatement of membership subject to the Board being satisfied that the conditions have been fully met," the world cricket governing body added.

ICC visits to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and franchise cricket concerns

Other member boards also fell under review. "Two ICC Board representatives, Dr Mohammed Moosaje (Cricket South Africa) and Tavengwa Mukuhlani (Zimbabwe Cricket), are scheduled to visit Bangladesh to engage with stakeholders regarding the situation in Bangladesh including the BCB electoral process. In Sri Lanka, ICC Deputy Chair Imran Khwaja and Devajit Saikia (BCCI) have visited and met with relevant stakeholders to assess ongoing developments," wrote ICC.

The spread of franchise tournaments worldwide led to a separate discussion. ICC members highlighted how overlapping domestic leagues affect national team schedules and player workloads. The Board agreed to form a committee that will draft recommendations on aligning franchise tournaments with the international calendar, aiming for a more predictable season structure for boards, players and fans.

Aayush Kataria, identified as a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, was credited with reporting these developments. The note stated that Aayush Kataria started a career at the same organisation and is described as a key member of the team, reflecting ongoing coverage of global cricket decisions for sports readers in India.