England to Host ICC World Test Championship Finals in 2027, 2029 & 2031: ICC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will host the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Finals in 2027, 2029, and 2031. This decision was made during the ICC’s Annual Conference held in Singapore. This decision acknowledges England’s excellent track record in hosting major cricket events, including recent WTC finals.

Support for Displaced Afghan Women Cricketers

In a major humanitarian step, the ICC updated members on efforts to support displaced Afghan women cricketers. This programme, led by the ICC with help from BCCI, ECB, and Cricket Australia, aims to provide these players with proper training, match opportunities, and they will also get a chance to take part in major tournaments like the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India and the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England. This initiative is being led by ICC Deputy Chair, Imran Khwaja.

Governance Reforms Expected from USA Cricket

The ICC repeated its stand on USA Cricket, which remains under notice. The American cricket body must complete fair elections and fix its governance structure within three months. The ICC has reserved the right to take any necessary action if reforms are not implemented in time.

New Committee Members and Expanding Membership

Three officials were chosen to represent Associate Members on the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC):

Gurumurthy Palani (France Cricket)
Anuraag Bhatnagar (Cricket Hong Kong, China)
Gurdeep Klair (Cricket Canada)
Outgoing members and former ICC CEO Geoff Allardice were thanked for their contributions.

Two new cricketing nations—Timor-Leste and Zambia—have officially joined the ICC as Associate Members, bringing the total count to 110 members globally.

Annual Reports Finalised

The conference also gave approval to the ICC Group's annual report and financial records for 2024, finishing the official work for the year.