Australia coach Andrew McDonald has urged the International Cricket Council to allow bigger squads of 17 players ahead of the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.
His call is based on the expanded tournament format, which could see finalists play up to 15 matches, compared with 11 at the 2023 edition.
McDonald warned that a 15-player squad limit could result in an attritional tournament given the added matches.
He cited the 2023 World Cup, where an injury to Travis Head had limited Australia’s squad flexibility during the event.
Australia also face a demanding lead-up to the tournament, including up to 21 Test matches over 14 months, with five-Test tours of India and England among them.
With key fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all over 30 and carrying injury histories, squad depth is a growing priority.
The 2027 World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will expand to 14 teams, introducing a Super Series round and a Super 7 stage before the semi-finals.
The new tournament structure includes a Super Series round before the group stages, followed by a Super 7 round ahead of the semi-finals, extending the overall length and physical demands of the event compared to previous editions.
McDonald’s push for larger squads comes as several cricket boards have separately raised concerns about player workload amid an increasingly packed international calendar spanning bilateral series, multi-team tournaments and franchise leagues.
Australia’s pace attack of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc has been central to the team’s success across formats in recent years, making their fitness and workload management a recurring talking point for the team management.
The 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and will feature 14 teams, expanded from the 10-team format used at the 2023 edition held in India.
(Image: “Andrew McDonald during an Australia practice session at the MCG” by DustyNail, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
