Administrator | ICC |
---|---|
Format | One Day International & List A |
First tournament | 2007 |
Number of teams | Six (2007 and 2010) Eight (since 2011) |
Current champion | Netherlands (1st title) |
Most successful | Ireland (2 titles) |
Most runs | TBD |
Most wickets | TBD |
The ICC World Cricket League Championship is the top division of the World Cricket League (WCL) system, a One Day International cricket competition for national teams with Associate or Affiliate status. It forms part of the qualification process for the Cricket World Cup.
The WCL Championship was originally known as World Cricket League Division One, and was played twice under that name (in 2007 and 2010). Those were hosted as standalone tournaments, but a new format was subsequently introduced in which competing teams play multiple games against each other over several years (mirroring the Intercontinental Cup, a first-class competition). All matches in the WCL Championship hold List A status, while matches between higher-ranking teams may hold One Day International (ODI) status.
The first WCL Division One tournament in 2007 featured the top six teams from the 2005 ICC Trophy, while the 2010 tournament featured the top six teams from the 2009 World Cup Qualifier. Two teams from WCL Division Two were added for the 2011–13 WCL Championship, making eight teams in total. The top two teams from the 2011–13 competition (Ireland and Afghanistan) gained automatic qualification for the 2015 World Cup. They were subsequently promoted to the ICC ODI Championship, although the 2015–17 WCL Championship remained an eight-team competition as two additional teams were promoted from Division Two.