ICC Intercontinental Cup
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Format | First-class cricket |
| First tournament | 2004 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin and Knockout |
| Number of teams | Varies (Highest 14) (Recently 8) |
| Current champion |
 Ireland
|
| Most successful |
Ireland (4 titles) |
| Most runs |
 Steve Tikolo (1,918) |
| Most wickets |
Trent Johnston (81) |
 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship |
|
The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council as part of its cricket development programme. It is designed to allow Associate Members of the ICC the chance to play first-class cricket matches against teams of similar skill in a competition environment and prepare them for eventual promotion to Test cricket status.
The inaugural ICC Intercontinental Cup was completed on 22 November 2004 when Scotland won the title in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Scotland beat Canada by an innings and 84 runs in the final. The competition included 12 teams, divided by geographical region into four groups of three. Each team played the other two teams in its group once each. The top team in each group then progresses to the semi-finals, and the winners of those to the final. In order to encourage competitive play and avoid deadlocks, a point system including bonus points was used.
The tournament was played for the second time in 2005.
Hong Kong came in to replace Malaysia, and the Cayman Islands replaced the United States who were ejected from the competition by the ICC because of then ongoing political problems within cricket in the US. The points system was also modified so that teams could score unlimited batting points in the first innings and a maximum of 4 points in the second innings.
The tournament was won by Ireland who defeated Kenya in the final.
The tournament was cut from 12 to eight teams, with Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and Uganda losing the right to participate, while Namibia knocked out Nepal in a play off for the eighth place. The match length was extended from three to four days, and each team was scheduled to play at least three matches. The teams were divided into two groups of four, with each team playing the other once and the top two teams qualifying for the final, and the points system has also been changed: 14 points are now awarded for a win, and six for a first-innings lead. Due to preparations for the 2007 World Cup and the longer tournament, the final was played in May 2007, where Ireland defeated Canada to defend their title.
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