The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has confirmed changes for both the Men's Cricket World Cup and the qualification structure for the Men's T20 World Cup following its annual meetings.
The ICC insists the changes were made with “the objective of creating more meaningful contests, elevating competitive standards, strengthening the competitive structure of both events, and enhancing the tournament experience for athletes and fans.”
Among the approved recommendations is the qualification structure for associate member nations for the 2028 Men's T20 World Cup.
I. ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
The Men's ODI World Cup will continue to feature 14 teams, but the revised format will entail a three-stage competition leading to the Finals.
According to the governing body, the new format will ”strengthen the competitive narrative across every stage of the event.”
There will be two rounds of matches (Round 1 and Round 2) leading into a ‘Super 7 stage,' which will take the form of a round-robin, from which teams qualify for the semi-finals.
Taylor becomes the fifth woman to score 10,000 runs in International cricket
West Indies 257 all out (Taylor 105, Alleyne 33; Prendergast 2-37) beat Ireland 193 all out (Lewis 50, Paul 32; Fletcher 3-33) by 64 runs
A brilliantly calculated century from the legendary Stafanie Taylor helped the West Indies defeat Ireland by 64 runs in the third Women’s One-Day International at the Bready Cricket Ground on Wednesday and complete a 3-0 series sweep.
The three victories on Irish soil have handed Windies six (6) ICC Championship points, bringing their current tally to eight (8) in the 2025-2029 cycle. The series win is also the Caribbean side's first in the new cycle, having lost to Sri Lanka (2-1) and Australia (3-0) at home.
Taylor (105 from 113 balls) first needed to bat through the innings to give the West Indies a chance to win. She shared in half-century partnerships with Jahzara Claxton (30) and Aaliyah Alleyne (33) to lift the visitors from 82 for five to 257 all out.
The defense wasn’t always comfortable for the visitors despite the earlier wicket of Sarah Forbes, who was trapped LBW by Jannillea Glasgow for 2. Ireland kept up with the pace of the chase courtesy of a 71-run (81 balls) second-wicket partnership between Gaby Lewis (50) and Amy Hunter (30).
The wrist-spin of Afy Fletcher (3-33), however, did the trick for the West Indies, dealing the hosts a double blow in her first over to account for both Lewis and Hunter, pegging Ireland back at 86 for three in the 18th.
Defending champions Barbados have made a commanding start to the 2026 Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over Championship, emerging as the early pacesetters after two rounds of competition.
Back-to-back victories over the Windward Islands and Leeward Islands have propelled Barbados to the top of the standings on 14.2 points, with their impressive performances earning not only the maximum four points for each victory but also valuable bonus points.
Close behind are Trinidad and Tobago on 11.6 points, having also maintained a perfect record through wins over Guyana and the Windward Islands.
The Leeward Islands occupy third position, followed by Jamaica, with both teams claiming one victory from their opening two fixtures. The Windward Islands and Guyana complete the standings in fifth and sixth respectively, with both teams still searching for their first win of the tournament.
Barbados' impressive start has been inspired by captain and opening batsman Gadson Bowens, whose outstanding form with the bat has made him the competition's standout performer thus far. Following his first-round knock of 62, Bowens produced a breath-taking 209 from just 122 deliveries in the second-round clash against the Leeward Islands, powering his side to a formidable 439 for 8.
Second in run aggregate with 137 is Leeward Islands’ Tanez Francis, who recorded half-centuries in both rounds including 82 from 98 balls against Jamaica. The wicketkeeper and opening batsman was a member of the West Indies squad that took part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia earlier this year.
New Zealand 141 for 5 (Latham 37, Young 28; Pierre 2-33) beat West Indies 138 all out (Campbell 43, Jangoo 24; Lennox 5-19) by 5 wickets
The West Indies were bowled out for 138 in 36 overs, batting first in the second One-Day International against New Zealand in Providence, Guyana, on Monday. It was their lowest total against the Black Caps on home soil.
After a cautious start, openers John Campbell and Ackeem Auguste picked up the tempo towards the end of the powerplay, sharing in a 63-run partnership for the first wicket.
From there, however, the West Indies added just 75 runs for all 10 wickets as the Kiwi spinners took charge. According to Windies' own spinner Khary Pierre, it was incumbent on the Caribbean batsmen to weather the storm and bat through the allotted overs.
“I think we left some runs out there,” Pierre began. “[We] got bowled out in 36 overs, with 14 overs to go. I think we could have batted a little more responsibly, rotated the strike a little more, and probably got to 230.”
West Indies 242 for 4 (Matthews 100, Taylor 100*; Maguire 2-52) beat Ireland 241 for 7 (Hunter 67, Stokell 57; Dottin 2-15) by 6 wickets
Captain Hayley Matthews and Stafanie Taylor both scored hundreds in the second One-Day International against Ireland at the Bready Cricket Ground on Sunday, leading the West Indies to a comfortable six-wicket victory and a subsequent 2-0 series-winning lead.
The two finished with identical scores of 100, with Matthews notching back-to-back tons and Taylor remaining unbeaten to see Windies home.
There are cherished moments in every sport when the greats occupy the same field. Even more so in cricket, when the pinnacle of what an entire nation has been able to produce stands at opposite ends of the wicket. The 158-run partnership between Matthews and Taylor was in no way proof that they are the two greatest women to have represented the West Indies; it was simply a reminder.
The proof, however, was in every classical shot they each carved out that kept the scoreboard ticking over and prompted statistical interjection after statistical interjection from the commentary team that was as good as saying, “There’s nobody like them.”
The pair came together at the fall of Realeanna Grimmond for a duck in the first over, and their 151-ball stay propelled the West Indies to 159 for 2, needing 83 runs from 144 balls to win. They scored above the required rate throughout their partnership thanks to Matthews, the aggressor, who followed up her century in Friday’s first encounter with a 94-ball repeat. For which, 68 of the even one hundred runs were accumulated in boundaries.
