The global cricket sphere is experiencing considerable growth, and new countries are constantly joining the bandwagon.
USA, Nepal, UAE, and the Netherlands are or have been new countries which not only participated but also impressed world cricket as if it was their backyard. These nations are classified as associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
What Are Associate Members in ICC?
You can imagine it as the second tier of international cricket games being played. The associate membership opens up doors to world cricket.
And the countries or boards which are associate members do not possess a cricketing past that is well established.
So, how do countries get to be associate members then?
While it’s not necessary to have a history of playing cricket to become an associate member, what helps the board to get the membership is that it has the prerequisites in place.
The most basic of all is the presence of cricket in the country. This is an obvious thing.
Then the support of men’s and women’s cricket in the area comes next. And a single board should handle the whole control.
Not only of the board’s personnel but also of the players, umpires, and others, should have proper infrastructure for training in the newly developing parts of cricket.
Once the board has fulfilled all these conditions, it can get in touch with the ICC development regional office assigned to it. The regional office will then deploy a team to ascertain the on-field and off-field developments.
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After they are done, the boards will be allowed to apply for the associate membership. The ICC’s membership committee will then review the conditions that have been met by them before giving the final approval.
And what are the Perks of becoming an ICC associate member?
So, when a board is granted the associate membership, it gets a variety of support from the ICC.
The most important thing is the helping hand for the development of cricket in the primary school classes. If the sport’s base is not sturdy, then it will be difficult for the country to maintain. No one would like to lag behind once they get the membership.
But it will be impossible to grow the sport without sufficient money. This is where the ICC comes in with the desired funds.
Indeed, the funding is not as high as that of the full members. But it still does a lot for the development of the sport.
The development could qualify the boards to take part in the global qualifying tournaments organized by the ICC. And if the country happens to qualify for the main event, it will be a moment of silver lining.
What was mentioned above was the on-field support. The ICC also lends a hand to the associate members in off-field aspects.
The regional offices may support the associates with their governance and outreach programs which will help in the development of cricket in the region.
Do Associates member feature in Test cricket?
Due to the lack of experience associates have, they are not given the chance to play Test cricket. It is like a privileged circle, only the full members are admitted.
Following the recent changes, it is very tricky for the ICC to issue a third-world member Test status in the foreseeable future.
Are associate members allowed to play ODIs?
All full members enjoy ODI status automatically, while a few associates have been granted the same privilege. But not each associate can play ODIs except for the World Cup Qualifier and the World Cup.
The sides that excel in the ICC’s qualifying tournament will be rewarded with temporary ODI status for four years.
DO THEY PLAY T 20I?
T20Is are opened to all. Since 2019, all T20 matches played by the associates are given T20I status.
