ICC chiefs back expansion of T20 cricket

Dubai, Mar.8 (ANI): The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Chief Executives Committee met here on Wednesday and have decided to back an expansion of the Twenty20 format.

They have agreed to give three extra matches per major country in years when a world championship is staged.

According to Sports24, currently each senior nation is limited to an annual maximum of 12 matches in the game's shortest format.

It has also been decided that the 2014 World Twenty20, to be played in Bangladesh, should be increased to 16 teams.

The committee also said that associate and affiliate members - which include the likes of Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands - should consider submitting a proposition to host a future ICC World Twenty20 event.

"It was an important discussion and the CEC agreed that further conversations to strategically manage T20 cricket and also to promote all three formats would be beneficial," said ICC chief Haroon Lorgat.

Meanwhile, the ICC said that it would back non-neutral umpires in the event of Bangladesh agreeing to tour Pakistan, a cricketing no-go zone since March, 2009 when gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, killing eight Pakistanis and wounding seven visiting players and their assistant coach. (ANI)