Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Association (KNCB) have publicly criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) over changes to the 2027 men's 50-over World Cup format, accusing the governing body of poor communication and disrespect. The ICC recently altered plans so the main tournament will feature 12 teams in two groups of six rather than 14 as originally intended, with the three lowest-ranked qualifiers instead placed into a preliminary three-team Super Series from which only the winner advances to the main draw. The dispute matters because it effectively forces Associate nations such as Scotland and the Netherlands through three separate qualifying stages to reach the World Cup proper, adding cost and uncertainty for smaller cricketing nations.

In a joint statement, the two boards said the changes, agreed at the ICC's annual conference in Edinburgh in June, risked "weakening the integrity and credibility of international cricket" and were made with little transparency, disrupting planning and straining organisations with limited resources. BBC Sport understands most Associate members were left uninformed of the changes despite attending the conference, and the boards said two follow-up meetings and requests for written clarification went unanswered for over two weeks, which they called "disappointing and disrespectful". Both boards said they remained committed to working with the ICC, and their statement follows similar concerns raised by the World Cricketers' Association last month.