ICC considers World Cup cuts & WTC semis in overhaul Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Australia are one of only three teams to win the World Test Championship, along with New Zealand and South AfricaByTimothy AbrahamBBC Sport JournalistPublished39 minutes agoThe International Cricket Council held its annual conference in Edinburgh last week. A number of important issues surrounding the future of international cricket were discussed – both informally and formally – in meetings involving some of the game’s most influential decision makers.With the ICC set for talks with broadcasters over new deals, the governing body is keen to consider how best to position the various formats to ensure they can maximise their value.BBC Sport spoke to several sources to find out about some of the ideas proposed.World Cup changesThere looks set to be a shake-up to the structure of men’s World Cups in both formats.A proposal is on the table to reduce the 50-over World Cup from 14 teams to 12 along with the addition of a ‘super seven’ stage.This could even be in place for the 2027 edition, which is being co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.To achieve it, the ICC is likely to only allow two teams to progress from a global qualifying tournament rather than four as originally planned.A tweak to the T20 World Cup is also stated to be under review, with the ‘super eight’ stage increasing to a ‘super 10’ phase.All of the above could lead to an increase in the one fixture the ICC wants to see more of: India versus Pakistan.The two sides do not play each other outside major tournaments but it is seen as the most marketable fixture for television. Elsewhere, England, India and Australia have their key fixtures for the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2027 to 2031 locked in alongside global tournaments, but the rest of the full members are yet to sort out their schedules.There is a meeting pencilled in for August when they will attempt to thrash out the remainder of the calendar before a final review in September.Additionally, it seems highly likely the number of white-ball bilateral series played by teams will decrease after the next FTP cycle.In their place will be a series of mini inter-continental quadrangular tournaments, likely to be with two teams from each full member region.WTC semi-finals on the cardsThere has been no formal progress on the possible expansion of the World Test Championship to 12 teams.An ICC working group, headed by New Zealand board member Roger Twose, is still working through plans to expand the tournament to include Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe.As a result, no concrete proposals have been presented for approval and it now looks extremely unlikely they will be incorporated as part of the next FTP cycle.One interesting subject which gained some traction in meetings was the possibility of adding semi-finals to the WTC in order to stimulate more interest.There is a feeling that a greater sense of jeopardy, and giving teams in the middle of the table more to play for, would help generate more interest in a tournament for the longer format.ECB blocks Lord’s plan for Euro Nations Cup
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