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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the governing body for International Test Match and One Day International Cricket. It is based at Lord's Cricket Ground. It was founded on 15th June 1909. The founder Members were England, Australia and South Africa.
FULL MEMBERS
Full Members are countries which are authorised to play Official International Test Cricket.
There are 10 Full Members of the ICC. They are :
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Australia
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Bangladesh
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England
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| India |
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New Zealand
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Pakistan
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South Africa
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Sri Lanka
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| West Indies |
| Zimbabwe |
Following are the symbols of Test playing nations.
         
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
These are countries where cricket is firmly established adn organised but do not qualify for full membership.
There are 27 Associate Members of the ICC. They are :
| Argentina |
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Bermuda
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Canada
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| Cayman Islands |
| Denmark |
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Fiji
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France
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| Germany |
| Gibraltar |
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Hong Kong
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Ireland
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Israel
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Italy
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Kenya
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| Malaysia |
| Namibia |
| Nigeria |
| The Netherlands |
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Nepal
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| Papua New Guinea |
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Scotland
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Singapore
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| Tanzania |
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Uganda
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| United Arab Emirates |
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United States of America
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Zambia
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International cricket structure
General structure
The structure of international cricket has evolved only recently from a traditional ad hoc basis. It had long been traditional for the countries, without any interference from a body such as the International Cricket Council (ICC), to organize for themselves the various cricket matches. Recently, however, the ICC has committed the Test cricket playing nations to play each other in a programme of matches over a period of 10 years. This was set up to encourage some of the better established countries to play the lesser nations more frequently.
The structure will no doubt evolve further as a result of the first Twenty20 international match between New Zealand and Australia on February 17, 2005 and the popularity of Twenty20 cricket in general.
Most Test matches and One-Day series take place in the form of "tours". In a tour, one nation travels to another and plays warm-up matches, first-class matches against domestic teams such as county or state teams, a series of Test matches against the host nation, and either a series of one-day matches against the host nation or a tournament involving the host nation and another touring nation. The "triangular tournament" format is often used when one tour is about to conclude and the other has just begun or may include one team only for that tournament. In the tournament, the three teams play each other either two or three times. The two teams with the most points (usually two points for a win, one point for a no-result or tie, and no points for a loss) qualify for the one-game final. The bonus point system is also often used in a triangular tournament - if a team's run rate is a fixed percentage higher than the opponent's (usually 33%), an extra bonus point is awarded to the winner. Examples of tournaments where the bonus point system is used include the VB Series and the NatWest Series.
The Test series can last from two matches to six matches. Six-match series were common around 1980, and the Ashes Test series in England was a six-match series from 1981 to 1997 (but five matches in Australia). The last six-match series was held in 1997-98 between the West Indies and England. The most important series last five matches, while the less important ones last two to four matches. The length of the series is based on the home country's attitude towards one-day internationals; traditional nations such as England and Australia usually organize five-match series, while nations where one-day cricket is very popular (such as India and Pakistan) favour three-match series. At most, a perpetual trophy is awarded to the winning team, or to the winner of the previous series in the case of a drawn series. The Ashes (for England versus Australia) is the most famous perpetual trophy. Other perpetual trophies include:
- Frank Worrell Trophy (Australia-West Indies)
- Chappell-Hadlee Trophy (Australia-New Zealand)
- Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia-India)
- Wisden Trophy (England-West Indies)
- Warne-Muralitharan Trophy (Australia-Sri Lanka)
The One-day series lasts from three to seven matches. Usually, the shorter one-day series are played at the same time as longer Test series - although the one-day matches and Test matches are usually played in groups. These days, it is rare that a Test series is interrupted by one-day internationals. In addition to tours, nations may organize one-day matches at neutral venues. The Sahara Cup was a one-day series played annually between India and Pakistan in Toronto, until the Indian government ordered the suspension of all cricketing ties with Pakistan, which were revived in 2004. Similarly, a semiannual Triangular Tournament was organized at Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament almost always involved the traditional rivals India and Pakistan. However, the tournament has lost its luster due to the fact that the overwhelming number of cricket matches has spoiled the pitch. In contrast to the one-dayers, Tests are almost never held in neutral venues. A triangular Test tournament was held in England in 1912, requiring South Africa to play Australia in Manchester, London and Nottingham. One notable recent exception occurred when Pakistan played some Test matches in Sharjah; many other nations had decided to boycott Pakistani grounds due to violence, including bombings, that had occurred during a tour by the New Zealand cricket team.
Security implications have also affected tours to Sri Lanka, and tours to Zimbabwe are currently being questioned due to the political situation in that country. In the 2003 World Cup tournament, New Zealand forfeited its game scheduled in Kenya.
In addition to the one-day series and tournaments organized by the nations themselves, the ICC organizes two tournaments. The World Cup is held every four years; it involves all the Test-playing nations, Kenya, and also a number of qualifying nations. The ICC Champions Trophy, previously known as the ICC Knockout Cup, is held every two years in between World Cups. In the Champions Trophy, a single loss is likely to eliminate a team from the tournament.
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