ICC suspends Cricket Canada; Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 rescheduled to February

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Cricket Canada with immediate effect over what it described as serious breaches of membership obligations, marking one of the key decisions taken during its board meetings in Ahmedabad.

The suspension follows concerns over governance and administrative shortcomings within Cricket Canada. However, the ICC clarified that Canadian players and national teams will not be affected by the move and will remain eligible to participate in ICC events during the suspension period.

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To ensure cricketing activities continue, the ICC will allow Cricket Canada to access funding through a controlled mechanism overseen by ICC management. The funding will be restricted to approved national team programmes.

The global governing body will also provide Cricket Canada with a set of conditions that must be met for reinstatement. Compliance with these measures will be monitored by the ICC Normalisation Committee, with membership restoration dependent on the Board’s satisfaction that all governance concerns have been addressed.

The decision came as the ICC Board approved a range of measures aimed at strengthening governance, supporting women’s cricket, enhancing competition structures and introducing innovations to the game, including a pink-ball trial in Test cricket and changes to playing conditions from October 2026.

Also Read: Explained: Why ICC wants pink balls in Tests – Here’s what else is changing in 2026

The ICC Board has also approved several recommendations from the Chief Executives Committee, including 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.

The ICC Board also approved a change to the window for the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027, moving the tournament from June-July to 14-28 February 2027.

Furthermore, 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.

The ICC Board has also 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.

For Associate Members, the ICC Board has 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.

As per ICC media release, 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.

The Board expressed concern regarding the growing expanse of franchise cricket and resolved to form a committee to assess the harmonisation of franchise cricket with the international calendar within the current structure.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah said: “Our discussions in Ahmedabad have reinforced the ICC’s commitment to governance, administration and the growth of cricket globally. From women’s cricket and emerging nations to the management of franchise competitions, today’s discussions and decisions aim to ensure that cricket remains fair, competitive, and exciting for fans worldwide.”

(with agency inputs)