Following Netherlands win in the 2015-2017 ICC World Cricket League Championships in Dec 2017, they were not only awarded ODI status but also became the 13th nation to take part in ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) Super League from 2020-2022. Now with most of the League 2 set of tri-series events postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the pathway structure could very well get stretched into 2023.
Being part of the ODI Super League is a big catch for an Associate nation, as it not only guarantees a total of 24 ODI matches (3 ODI’s each against 8 Full member countries as depicted in the ICC_Tours), but also the opportunity to get more commercial and broadcast revenues through sponsorships.
The 13th spot in the Super League will again be up for grabs again as the team ranked 13th at the end of the ODI Super League in 2022/2023 will have to compete with the top team from ICC CWC League 2 from 2019-2022, in order to claim the coveted spot in the next edition of the Super League, which will be direct qualification pathway for 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
It provides for a highly competitive League 2, as all the 7 countries in the league (Scotland, UAE, Nepal + Top 4 teams from ICC WCL Division 2) will not only fight for the top 3 spots into the 2022 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, but also the top spot in the league will bring them one step closer to challenge the 13th ranked team in 2020-2023 Super League for a place in the Super League and get to play 36 ODI matches against the 12 Full members in the next 3-year Super League period.
The winner between the League 2 winners and 13th ranked team will play the next edition of the Super League, while the team losing the challenge will be relegated to ICC CWC League 2 for it’s next edition.
