The league featured thirteen teams, the twelve Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Netherlands, who won the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship to qualify for this competition.[6] Each team were scheduled to play an ODI series against eight of the other twelve teams, four series at home and four away. Each series consisted of three ODIs.[7]
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the start of the league, with several series of matches being postponed. In April 2020, following a Chief Executives' meeting, the ICC announced that it would look at the future of the league at a later date, once there is a better understanding of the impact of the pandemic on cricket.[8][9] The series between England and Ireland, starting 30 July 2020, were the first matches of the league.[10][11] In March 2022, as a result of the impact from the pandemic, the ICC agreed to extend the cut-off date for the tournament until May 2023, allowing the series between Ireland and Bangladesh to take place.[12]
Teams and qualification pathway
A diagram that explains the qualification structure for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
For the World Cup, the hosts, and the top seven sides thereafter, were qualified automatically. The remaining five teams advanced to a qualifying event—the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier—along with five Associate sides, from which two sides went through to the World Cup.[13]
The top twelve teams in this Super League remain in the Super League for the next World Cup cycle. The 13th ranked team in this Super League and the champions of the 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 took part in World Cup Qualifier, where the better team placed the 13th spot in the next Super League while the team ranked lower qualified in the next League 2.[14][15]
Format
The tournament was a partial round-robin league and played over two years. Each team were scheduled to play eight other opponents, four at home and four away, in series consisting of three ODI matches. This meant that a given team did not face all other opponents in their group, but all teams were scheduled to the same number of matches ( i.e., 12 matches at home and 12 matches away).[16]
If a match was abandoned and the pitch or outfield was declared unfit by the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, then the match point was awarded to the visiting team.[16]
A team that was behind the required over-rate at the end of a match teams had one competition point deducted for each over it was behind.[16]
Tied matches were decided by a Super Over. If a Super Over were a tie, subsequent Super Overs played until there was a winner.[17]
Following a trial that started in December 2019,[18] the ICC announced the use of technology to monitor front-foot no-balls for all matches in the Super League.[19] The third umpire called the front-foot no-balls, communicating with the on-field umpires.[20]
The COVID-19 pandemic began before the start of the league, which was originally scheduled for May 2020 to March 2022, and resulted in no international cricket being played from March to July 2020.[23] All Super League fixtures scheduled for 2020 were postponed or rescheduled with considerations for pandemic-related restrictions.[24] Fixtures had to be reconsidered to account for the disruptions to the schedule.[25]
The first matches of the Super League were Ireland's 3-match ODI series in England which were originally scheduled for September 2020 but brought forward to July and August with all three matches taking place in Southampton.[37][38][39]Australia's tour of England, which was originally to take place in July 2020, was postponed and took place in September 2020.[40]England's tour of South Africa was postponed following an outbreak of COVID-19 among members of both teams and the hotel staff.[41]
In December 2020, the ICC rescheduled the postponed series to a new schedule which would end in March 2023.[4] A further, minor extension to May 2023 was announced in March 2022.[12]
Source: ICC[50], ESPN Cricinfo[51] The series between Afghanistan and India, and Afghanistan and Pakistan were not played (or awarded to either side). Notes:
^India were deducted one point for a slow over rate against Australia on 27 November 2020.[42]
^South Africa were deducted one point for a slow over rate against Pakistan on 2 April 2021,[43] and one point for a slow over rate against England on 1 February 2023.[44]
^West Indies were deducted two points for a slow over rate against New Zealand on 21 August 2022.[45]
^Sri Lanka were deducted two points for a slow over rate against West Indies on 14 March 2021,[46] one point for a slow over rate against India on 20 July 2021,[47] and one point for a slow over rate against New Zealand on 25 March 2023.[48]
^Ireland were deducted two points for a slow over rate against West Indies on 8 January 2022.[49]
In the event that one or more teams had the same number of points, the following tie-breaking procedure was used:[16]
The team that had won the greater number of matches was placed higher.
If still equal, the team with the higher net run rate was placed higher.
If still equal, the team that was ranked in the higher position in the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings on 1 July 2020 was placed higher.
Fixtures
For matches played in Australia, scores are listed in the Australian format of wickets/runs.
This series was originally scheduled for September 2020. However, with the IPL being rescheduled to September–November 2020, this series was postponed to March 2021.[25]
The series was scheduled for February 2022. It was postponed in January 2022 after Zimbabwe Cricket could not secure all the broadcasting services including the Decision Review System.[54][55] It was subsequently rescheduled for June 2022.[56]
The matches were originally scheduled to be played in December 2021,[57] but were postponed after multiple cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the West Indies team and support staff.[58][59]
This series was originally scheduled for July 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was subsequently rescheduled for August 2022.[61]
This series was originally scheduled for July 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was subsequently rescheduled for August 2022.[62]
This series was originally scheduled for August 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was subsequently rescheduled for August 2022.[64]
This series was originally scheduled for August 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was subsequently rescheduled to August 2022.[65]
This series was originally scheduled for January–February 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until the 2021–22 season.[66] However, the tour was postponed in January 2022 due to the uncertainty of the quarantine rules for when the New Zealand team return home.[67] It was subsequently scheduled for September 2022.[68]
India's tour of New Zealand was postponed due to a packed calendar and COVID-19 related restrictions.[69] The tour was subsequently rescheduled to follow the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in November 2022.[70] On 28 June 2022, New Zealand Cricket confirmed the dates for the tour.[71]
Afghanistan's tour of Sri Lanka was originally rescheduled for January 2023, but it was subsequently announced that the games would take place in November 2022.[72]
This series was originally scheduled for March–April 2020 but was rescheduled to December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. England's tour of South Africa was then disrupted in December 2020, following an outbreak of COVID-19 among members of both teams and the hotel staff.[41]
This series was originally scheduled for September 2021 but was postponed in August 2021.[73] On 3 August 2021, ECB confirmed that the tour has been re-arranged for March 2023.[74] On 27 August 2022, both the cricket boards confirmed the fixtures of the tour.[75]
This series was originally scheduled for February 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 28 June 2022, New Zealand Cricket confirmed that the tour had been re-arranged for March 2023.[76]
^ ab"Sri Lanka fined for slow over-rate in third ODI against West Indies". International Cricket Council. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021. In addition, as per Article 12.9.1 of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League Playing Conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, Sri Lanka will lose two points from their points tally during the Super League.
^The toss for this match took place on 22 July, with play being suspended due to a positive COVID-19 case. Per the ICC's playing conditions, play resumed on 24 July from when the toss occurred, as the match was not abandoned.
^The match was originally scheduled to play on 24 July 2021 and rescheduled due to COVID-19.
