ICC Meeting 2025 / ICC made a big announcement, 2 new teams entered the world of cricket

ICC Meeting 2025: After the annual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) held in Singapore on 20 July 2025, a historic news has come out for the world of cricket. The ICC has included two new teams, Timor-Leste and Zambia, as its associate members. With this decision, the total number of ICC members has now increased to 110. This move is considered an important initiative towards making cricket more popular globally and promoting its development in new areas.

Entry of two new teams

The ICC issued a press release announcing the formal inclusion of the Timor-Leste Cricket Federation and the Zambia Cricket Union as its associate members. The ICC said in its statement, "Two new members have joined the ICC family, taking the total number of members to 110. The Timor-Leste Cricket Federation and the Zambia Cricket Union are now formally associate members of the ICC." With this decision, Zambia has become the 22nd African country to join the ICC.

At the same time, Timor-Leste has become the 10th associate member of the East Asia Pacific region. It is noteworthy that Timor-Leste is the first country from this region to get this status after the Philippines joined in 2003. Cricket has become increasingly popular in Timor-Leste in recent years, especially among the youth. Now this country will get an opportunity to participate in international tournaments, which will further accelerate the development of cricket there.

Zambia's inspirational comeback

The return of the Zambia Cricket Union to the ICC is an inspirational story. Zambia first received associate membership of the ICC in 2003, but its membership was revoked in 2019 due to governance and compliance issues. After this, Zambia was completely expelled from the ICC in 2021. However, after four years of hard work and reforms, Zambia has regained Associate Membership by addressing its administrative and organisational shortcomings. This achievement marks a new beginning for the Zambian cricket community and will play a vital role in increasing the enthusiasm for the sport in the country.

A step towards global expansion of cricket

This decision of the ICC reflects its commitment to make cricket more inclusive globally. With the popularity of cricket increasing in new areas like Timor-Leste, the game is also taking root in parts of Asia, where it did not get much attention earlier. At the same time, Zambia's return will further strengthen the development of cricket in the African continent.

This move of the ICC will not only give these two countries a chance to showcase their talent on the international stage, but it will also help in further expanding the global fan base of cricket. This decision opens the door to new opportunities and possibilities in the world of cricket, and more exciting moments of this game can be seen in the future.