ICC have formally launched the World Cup Super League, set to be played between the top 13 ODI teams, which begins with the upcoming England-Ireland ODI series.

The league was first announced in 2018 along with the World Test championship, but its launch earlier this year was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league will determine qualification for the next ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played in India in 2023.

It will feature the top 12 Test-playing nations along with Netherlands, who qualified after winning the ICC World Cricket Super League 2015-17. Each team will play eight series in all, four home and as many away, with each series consisting of three ODIs each. The top seven teams will automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup.

Eoin Morgan, who will lead England in the upcoming ODIs against Ireland, starting in Southampton on July 30, said it was an opportunity to prepare their defence of the title they won at last year’s World Cup.

The ICC CWC Super League, which will add context to ODI series and help determine qualification for the ICC Men's @cricketworldcup 2023, gets under way with the #ENGvIRE series.#RoadToCWC23

Details 👉 https://t.co/x0D6u1ACxA pic.twitter.com/FBFtgSJVbo

— ICC (@ICC) July 27, 2020

“We’re looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League,” he said. “Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord’s, but it’s nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament.”

All three ODIs between England and Ireland will be played at Southampton, with ICC set to announce the full fixtures in due course.