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-- Saurabh Wahi
Having spent sufficient time and effort in building the PWC for Test Matches, I will now try to see how one-day internationals can be accommodated in the schedule. To start with, I will again go back to the 9-team format, with Team X representing Bangladesh & Zimbabwe, and late expand it to 10-team format.
According to the 9-team PWC format, each team hosts two Test series at home. If these series are hosted back-to-back, can we not have a triangular one-day series scheduled in-between? I am not proposing anything radical here. The Australians have been doing it since the mid-eighties. England has also adopted this format recently, and now and then, most countries have flirted with this format. The problem has been that without a well-structured Test schedule, these Triangular One-day tournaments have not been regulated. However, the PWC schedule would eliminate this problem and we would have a Triangular schedule that would look as follows:
PWC - Triangular One-Day International Schedule - 9 teams
| Season 1 | |||||||||||
| Host | Visiting Teams | ||||||||||
| Australia | Sri Lanka | India | |||||||||
| England | Australia | West Indies | |||||||||
| India | England | Team X | |||||||||
| New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Team X | |||||||||
| Pakistan | West Indies | India | |||||||||
| South Africa | Pakistan | New Zealand | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka | South Africa | Pakistan | |||||||||
| Team X | Australia | England | |||||||||
| West Indies | New Zealand | South Africa | |||||||||
| Season 2 | |||||||||||
| Host | Visiting Teams | ||||||||||
| Australia | New Zealand | Pakistan | |||||||||
| England | Sri Lanka | South Africa | |||||||||
| India | West Indies | New Zealand | |||||||||
| New Zealand | England | Pakistan | |||||||||
| Pakistan | England | Team X | |||||||||
| South Africa | India | Australia | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka | India | Team X | |||||||||
| Team X West | Indies | South Africa | |||||||||
| West Indies | Australia | Sri Lanka | |||||||||
| Season 3 | |||||||||||
| Host | Visiting Teams | ||||||||||
| Australia | England | Team X | |||||||||
| England | India | Team X | |||||||||
| India | Pakistan | Australia | |||||||||
| New Zealand | South Africa | West Indies | |||||||||
| Pakistan | South Africa | Sri Lanka | |||||||||
| South Africa | Sri Lanka | West Indies | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Australia | |||||||||
| Team X | India | New Zealand | |||||||||
| West Indies | England | Pakistan | |||||||||
| Season 4 | |||||||||||
| Host | Visiting Teams | ||||||||||
| Australia | South Africa | West Indies | |||||||||
| England | Pakistan | New Zealand | |||||||||
| India | South Africa | Sri Lanka | |||||||||
| New Zealandx | India | Australia | |||||||||
| Pakistan | New Zealand | Australia | |||||||||
| South Africa | England | Team X | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka | England | West Indies | |||||||||
| Team X | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | |||||||||
| West Indies | India | Team X | |||||||||
This would mean that each team will take part in exactly three Triangular One-Day tournaments every season, one at home and two away. One has to only look at the way One-Day Internationals are currently scheduled to appreciate the need for such a structured approach.
As before, I will now expand the above schedule by replacing Team X by Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. From the above schedule, lets look at the 'Home Schedule' for Team X for all the 4-seasons. It reads as follows:
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 1 | India | England | Team X |
| 1 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Team X |
| 1 | Team X | Australia | England |
| 2 | Pakistan | England | Team X |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | India | Team X |
| 2 | Team X | West Indies | South Africa |
| 3 | Australia | England | Team X |
| 3 | England | India | Team X |
| 3 | Team X | India | New Zealand |
| 4 | South Africa | England | Team X |
| 4 | West Indies | India | Team X |
| 4 | Team X | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
This is based on the assumption that Team X will be hosting Australia & England in the same year. However, according to the 10-team PWC schedule for test matches, the Team X represents Zimbabwe & Bangladesh, so the actual schedule would look like this (including the two series that both teams play against each other in seasons 2 & 4-highlighted in blue):
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 1 | India | England | Zimbabwe |
| 1 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | Australia | |
| 1 | Bangladesh | England | |
| 2 | Pakistan | England | Zimbabwe |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | India | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | West Indies | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Bangladesh | South Africa | |
| 3 | Australia | England | Bangladesh |
| 3 | England | India | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | New Zealand | |
| 3 | Bangladesh | India | |
| 4 | South Africa | England | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | West Indies | India | Bangladesh |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Zimbabwe |
This would mean that there would be obvious gaps in the Triangular Series, with the third team missing in the some of the tournaments being hosted by Zimbabwe & Bangladesh. Also, though both the teams would host one triangular series at home, they would only take part in one away triangular series every alternate season.
Part of this problem can be addressed by scheduling both these teams to be the 'third' team. Hence Zimbabwe can play in the Triangular hosted by Bangladesh in season 1, and Bangladesh can be do the same in season 4. Kenya and other ICC affiliates like Namibia, Holland and Canada can fill the other gaps, thus giving these teams important International Exposure.
The schedule for the above teams would be as follows:
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 1 | India | England | Zimbabwe |
| 1 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | Australia | Kenya |
| 1 | Bangladesh | England | Zimbabwe |
| 1 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 1 | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Pakistan | England | Zimbabwe |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | India | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | West Indies | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Bangladesh | South Africa | Kenya |
| 2 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 2 | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | Australia | England | Bangladesh |
| 3 | England | India | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | New Zealand | Bangladesh |
| 3 | Bangladesh | India | Kenya |
| 3 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 3 | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | South Africa | England | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | West Indies | India | Bangladesh |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | Sri Lanka | Kenya |
| 4 | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 4 | Bangladesh |
The final 10-team (actually 10+ team) format would look like this:
PWC - Final Triangular One-Day International Schedule
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 1 | Australia | Sri Lanka | India |
| 1 | England | Australia | West Indies |
| 1 | India | England | Zimbabwe |
| 1 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| 1 | Pakistan | West Indies | India |
| 1 | South Africa | Pakistan | New Zealand |
| 1 | Sri Lanka | South Africa | Pakistan |
| 1 | Zimbabwe | Australia | Kenya |
| 1 | Bangladesh | England | Zimbabwe |
| 1 | West Indies | New Zealand | South Africa |
| 1 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 1 | Bangladesh |
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 2 | Australia | New Zealand | Pakistan |
| 2 | England | Sri Lanka | South Africa |
| 2 | India | West Indies | New Zealand |
| 2 | New Zealand | England | Pakistan |
| 2 | Pakistan | England | Zimbabwe |
| 2 | South Africa | India | Australia |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | India | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | West Indies | Bangladesh |
| 2 | Bangladesh | South Africa | Kenya |
| 2 | West Indies | Australia | Sri Lanka |
| 2 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 2 | Zimbabwe |
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 3 | Australia | England | Bangladesh |
| 3 | England | India | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | India | Pakistan | Australia |
| 3 | New Zealand | South Africa | West Indies |
| 3 | Pakistan | South Africa | Sri Lanka |
| 3 | South Africa | Sri Lanka | West Indies |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Australia |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | New Zealand | Bangladesh |
| 3 | Bangladesh | India | Kenya |
| 3 | West Indies | England | Pakistan |
| 3 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 3 | Zimbabwe |
| Season | Host | Visiting Teams | |
| 4 | Australia | South Africa | West Indies |
| 4 | England | Pakistan | New Zealand |
| 4 | India | South Africa | Sri Lanka |
| 4 | New Zealand | India | Australia |
| 4 | Pakistan | New Zealand | Australia |
| 4 | South Africa | England | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | England | West Indies |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | Sri Lanka | Kenya |
| 4 | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Zimbabwe |
| 4 | West Indies | India | Bangladesh |
| 4 | Kenya | ICC affiliate 4 | Bangladesh |
The above Triangular One-day schedule fits in perfectly with the PWC schedule for test matches, and all the ten test playing nations, including Bangladesh & Zimbabwe, take part in three one-day triangular tournaments every season, one at home and two away.
Also, giving the ICC-member teams a chance to play in these triangular tournaments will ensure that they get the relevant exposure at the international level. The selection of the ICC-member teams could be on the basis of their qualification to the One-Day International World-Cup.
I can go on and explain how this schedule can be expanded to include additional ICC affiliate countries in a structured, but like I said, I could go on…
Summary
Before I wind-up, a special thanks to Daniel Laidlaw, without whose contribution, I would have struggled to complete these series of articles. I had started this last year with the intention of writing a white paper to be submitted to the ICC. However, I though my purpose would be better served if this could get more exposure through the media. Thanks to Rediff.com for giving me the opportunity to get my point across.
I have used simple Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to put together the PWC. If anyone would like to play around with these spreadsheets, and help me in my quest for the 'Perfect' World Championship schedule for cricket, feel free to contact me. I will know I was able to get my point across, if that someone is from the ICC.
Part I: The ideal ICC Test Championship
Part II: The ICC's Championship: A Rating or a Championship
Part III: Building the 'Perfect' World Championship
Part IV: Analysis: ICC vs PWC
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