Status of nations that play cricket
International Cricket Council (ICC), governs the Test status category. To be considered as a Test playing nation, a country has to play at least three Test games in a single year. The Intercontinental Cup is a competition that associate nations can participate in for two years.
Ireland and Afghanistan have recently received full membership in the ICC, making them the 11th and 12th Test playing nations. The ICC Board unanimously voted to approve the decision. Ireland and Afghanistan had previously applied to be upgraded to full membership in the organization.
Association of cricket-playing Nations
Cricket is a popular sport that can be played in many countries. Many of these countries have full membership in the Association of Cricket-Playing Nations (ICC). These countries can send a representative cricket team to official Test matches. They are also automatically eligible to play T20Is and ODIs. Full members include England, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Ireland. Some countries were once associate members. They later became full member.
There are currently only 20 nations that play One-Day International. Ten of them were eligible for last year's World Cup. Scotland was the only one that did not qualify. The coronavirus pandemic has caused the sport to be in disarray, and exposed the dire financial situation of richer cricket nations.
The global development team for ICC
The ICC's Global Development Team for Cricket-Playing Countries is responsible for ensuring the development of cricket in these nations. The team coordinates the organization of qualifying events, and manages the investment granted to the 92 AMs through the ICC. This includes the ICC Development Funding Model.
International collaboration is the key to the ICC's global development role. It is essential for the organization to work with countries to share best practices and use the region's infrastructure to the best advantage. The organisation should also engage with local partners to attract marketing, sponsorship, and other critical partnerships. These disciplines are often not implemented effectively by member countries, as they may only give lip service.