ICC weighs in on Super Over boundary count rule, prize money for Women's events, Zimbabwe and Nepal's status, and more

The drama surrounding the tie and Super Over in the 50-over World Cup final lead to a series of debates. The importance of boundary count while deciding the outcome of a match as huge as the final raised a few eyebrows.

ICC on Monday put in place new rules for Super Overs for upcoming ICC events. It also increased prize money for Women in ICC events and plan to organize more ICC global events each year. In a move that comes as good news for cricket fans across the globe, they reinstated Zimbabwe and Nepal as ICC members.

Super Over

ICC deliberated long on the controversial boundary count rule that helped England win the World Cup at Lord's against New Zealand. Scrapping this rule, ICC decided to tweak the rule wherein the Super Over will be repeated until a winner is decided. The Super Over will now be played in case of a tie in ICC group matches as well but unlike the knockouts, a Super Over tie will result in teams sharing points. The ICC release stated:

"Following on from a recommendation from the ICC Cricket Committee, the Chief Executives' Committee agreed that the use of the Super Over as a way to decide results at ICC events will be retained. Both the Cricket Committee and CEC agreed it was an exciting and engaging conclusion to the game and will remain in place covering all games at both ODI and T20I World Cups.”

ICC Events

In a decision that can lead to a tiff between ICC and BCCI, the next eight-year cycle (starting 2023) will see ICC organizing one ICC global event (men’s and women’s) every year, two 50-over World Cups, four T20 World Cups and two editions of an extra event which will be in the 50-over format. An ICC event every year will result in lower revenues for BCCI-organized domestic leagues. The ICC release stated:

“The Board decided that the eight-year cycle commencing in 2023 will comprise eight Men's events, eight Women's events, four Men's U19 events, and four Women's U19 events.”

Women’s Cricket

Women’s cricket received a huge boost as the prize money for ICC Women’s events were increased by $2.6 million. The Women’s T20 Championship will see the winners and runners-up receive $1 million and $500,000 respectively. The ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 will see a substantial increase in prize money, with the winners earning $3.5 million as compared to $2 million in 2017.

ICC also approved the hosting of the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup from 2021, which will be held every two years. The first edition will be played in Bangladesh. ICC Chief executive Manu Sawhney said:

“We want to build a long-term sustainable foundation for women’s cricket and that is about more than just prize money... Creating a Women’s U19 event also improves the pathway available to young cricketers and ensures they have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.”

“This is a journey we started in earnest in 2017 and next year it’s our ambition to fill the MCG on International Women’s Day for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 which would be a world record for a women’s sporting event. This significant increase in prize money and the introduction of a Women’s U19 event is part of a much larger effort to grow the women’s game around the world.”

Zimbabwe and Nepal

Zimbabwe and Nepal were reinstated as ICC members by the ICC board in Dubai on Monday. They were suspended by the ICC due to government interference in running the cricket board.

ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar praised the efforts of Zimbabwe Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry and Gerald Mlotshwa while reinstating Zimbabwe. This announcement will enable Zimbabwe to participate in the ICC Men’s U-19 Cricket World Cup in January and the ICC Super League in 2020 later that year.

“I would like to thank the Zimbabwe Sports Minister for her commitment to the reinstatement of Zimbabwe Cricket. Her desire to work in support of Zimbabwe Cricket was clear and she has unconditionally complied with the conditions set down by the ICC Board. Funding to Zimbabwe Cricket will continue to be on a controlled basis as part of a collective effort behind getting the game in Zimbabwe back on an even keel.”

Nepal was also readmitted on a conditional basis that requires them to have a free and fair election process and no government interference in the working of the cricket board.

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