Graeme Smith welcomes ODI World Cup's return to Africa: Details
What's the story
Former South African Graeme Smith has welcomed the return of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup to Africa after more than two decades. The tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in 2027. "It's been a long time coming since Africa or South Africa hosted a men's world cricket event again," Smith said at a ceremony in Johannesburg announcing the venues for the competition.
Event importance
'Great to have it back'
Smith stressed on the importance of hosting such a major event in Africa.
"I think the vibrancy of these three nations, the quality of players, the fan base certainly deserves a world event in the game, so it's great to have it back," he said.
The last time South Africa co-hosted this tournament was in 2003 with Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Global impact
CWC27 to feature 14 teams
Smith also highlighted the global significance of the ODI World Cup, especially in light of the recent success of the expanded FIFA World Cup.
"It's amazing. With 14 teams now, you hope that many people decide to come and travel to South Africa and be a part of the event," he said.
The 2027 edition will be the first since 2015 to feature 14 teams, an expansion from the previous two tournaments which had only 10 teams.
Tournament details
Third edition across three host nations
The 2027 tournament will be hosted in eight venues across South Africa, three in Zimbabwe, and at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia.
This marks the third instance of this being held across three host nations after 1996 and 2003.
Smith is hopeful that this expansion reflects the growth of international cricket and gives more countries a chance to showcase their talent on such a big platform.
Format
New format of the tournament
As per the new format, Round 1 will be played among teams ranked 12th to 14th, with only one team progressing to Round 2 along with 11 qualified teams.
The new format also introduces a Super Seven round, which will be played before the semi-finals and final.
The top three teams from each of the two groups of six, plus one next-best team on the points table across both groups, will qualify for this round.