The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the custodian of the gentleman’s game at the international level. The ICC supervises the majority of the cricket matches taking place in various parts of the world, although they are not directly linked to most of the matches.
However, the ICC must have been seen periodically organizing some of the most important cricket tournaments. The present article is a guide to the major tournaments which the ICC has hold of.
Men’s Tournaments
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (CWC)
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the most prestigious event of the global cricketing calendar. The Cricket World Cup has been conducted since 1975, with Australia being the luckiest team in the event’s story.
The event occurs every four years and is handled in ODI form. These days, the ODI World Cup has gifted cricket fans with many moments to remember and has an inseparable bond with them.
ICC Champions Trophy (CT)
The ICC Champions Trophy can be said to be the same as that of the Cricket World Cup, and you may call it a mini-World Cup. The only distinction is that this tournament features the top eight world teams only.
At first, the tournament was meant to promote the non-Test playing countries; but with the passing of time, the tournament was concentrated on the participation of the greatest teams. The Champions Trophy was discontinued in 2017, but the ICC has brought it back, with Pakistan scheduled to conduct the Champions Trophy in 2025.
ICC World Test Championship (WTC)The World Test Championship is a fairly recent tournament in men’s international cricket. 9 Test-playing countries participate in the competition – India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh– by playing 6 bilateral Test series.
The WTC, unlike other ICC tournaments, is a 2-year-long affair with the final played between the top 2 teams in the points table. The birth of the WTC has brought back into the game the interest of cricket fans in Test cricket.
ICC T20 World Cup
Another ICC event that began in the twenty-first century and has been a constant fan favorite worldwide. The T20 World Cup was first held in 2007, with India being the champion in the very first edition.
Since then, the shorter format has spread exponentially and has even helped the game reach all corners of the world. The T20 World Cup takes place every two years with the best teams vying for the trophy.
ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup
In 1988, the first U-19 World Cup was held in Australia, but it was called the Youth Cricket World Cup. After its first edition, the competition was not conducted until 1998, and then it was held every two years.
The tournament has seen some thrilling performances from the young players over the years. Many have even advanced to play for their countries at the international level, with Virat Kohli being the most notable example.
Women’s Tournament
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup
The Women’s Cricket World Cup is the pioneer in women’s global cricket tournaments, and its first edition was organized by the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC), which continued to govern the event until 2005 when it was merged with the ICC.
Since then, the competition has been an ODI format tournament held every 4 years. The women’s team of Australia, just like the men’s team, is the most successful side in the World Cup history, even in a women’s tournament.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
The first men’s T20 World Cup was held in 2007, and the ICC also held a similar event for women’s teams in 2009. The Women’s T20 World Cup is organized every 2 years, and the Australian team is the winner of the most prizes in the shorter format as well.
This tournament has played a huge role in making women’s cricket more popular among the public, with the recent ones breaking records as far as global viewership is concerned.
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ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup
To increase women’s participation in the sport at a younger age even more, the ICC introduced the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. The competition started in 2023, with India’s Under-19 team being the first winner of the cup. The tournament is planned to be held every 2 years.
