29 July,2026 06:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Andrew McDonald (Pic: File Pic)
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald feels that teams should be allowed to carry more members in their squads with the increase in the number of matches for the ODI World Cup 2027.
Speaking on the SEN Radio, he said, "One of the big things from my perspective is if it is going to be your pinnacle event, what do your squad sizes look like?," as quoted by Cricinfo.
He also feels that the increase in the number of players will also help teams to manage their injured players in the playing XI, considering the conditions of the venue.
"We had the dilemma of what it looked like having a 15-player squad for the last World Cup, and I think New Zealand were in the same boat where we had a couple of injuries, Travis Head been the most notable one, and I think Kane Williamson and a couple of others for New Zealand, where you end up with sort of 12-13 players to select from early on in your tournament, and you are trying to carry those other players through the early rounds, and you are not able to play potentially the way that you want to play, or structure up the way that you think you need to, and in particular in countries where you in the north or the south or the east or the west, the conditions change quite significantly," said McDonald.
Further, he said that a coach would want his best players to take the field in a World Cup, following which the International Cricket Council (ICC) should allow the inclusion of more players in the squad for the global tournament.
"My push within it, any time you are playing more games in the same period of time, you do not want it to be attritional. You want the best players to be available. So, there should be a conversation around - yep, that is great, you have landed at that, okay, what about the squad sizes?," said the 45-year-old former cricketer.
The coach also said that leading up to the global showpiece, there can be some players whose fitness levels can be "50-50 per cent". The availability of more players will also allow teams to carry these players with them to the tournament.
"This is going to be a pinnacle event. I think there is an argument to say, great, you have put more games in front of us, give us larger squads, allow us to play the way that we need to play within those conditions, and then also you have got the ability to carry those potential stars of the game that are under injury clouds leading in because the cricket leading into the World Cup is demanding, so you are going to have some people that potentially are 50-50 at that point in time. So let us carry the best players in there. Give us larger squads to be able to navigate through the early part, and then hopefully the pinnacle event has the best players playing, rather than being ruled out early on due to injury and the attritional nature of a World Cup," he concluded.
The ODI World Cup 2027 will be hosted in three countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The tournament will witness 14 teams competing against each other from October 4 to November 21.
(With ANI Inputs)
