The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the governing body of global cricket. It was established in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference and adopted it’s current name in 1987. The ICC grants test-playing status to selected countries based on the organization and popularity of the sport in that country.
As of November 2023, 12 teams have full-time membership. A full-time ICC membership grants the national side to play test matches. Currently, the 12 countries who are full-time members of the ICC are India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
The remaining member nations are associate members of the ICC. Currently, there are 96 associate members, all of whom are given a T20I status. This means that each of these teams is eligible to play International T20 cricket.
While every associate member is by default given a T20I status, teams have to work their way up the ladder to get the ODI status. ODI status is given to players based on their performances in the World Cup and World Cup Qualifying events. As of November 2023, eight men’s teams and five women’s teams of associate members have an ODI status. Canada, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE and United States have ODI status on the men’s side. Netherlands, Scotland, United States, Papa New Guinea and Thailand have ODI status on the women’s side.
The decision of inducting a team as an associate member rests with the ICC. If cricket is organized and firmly established in the country, but does not meet the criteria required for a full-member, then the team gets the status of being an associate member.
