Associate Nations in Cricket: Who They Are and What They Play
Beyond the 12 Full Members, over 90 associate and affiliate member nations play cricket under ICC governance. This article explains who associate nations are, what formats they play, and how they fit into the global cricket structure.
Full Members vs Associate Members
The ICC divides its member nations into three categories: Full Members (12 nations with Test status, full ICC voting rights, and direct access to all major ICC events — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe); Associate Members (approximately 96 nations with ICC membership but not Test status — they play official ODI and T20I cricket under ICC sanctioning and can earn spots in major tournaments through qualifying); and Affiliate Members (nations that are ICC recognised but at the earliest stage of cricket development — less formal ICC membership without the full competition rights of associates). The distinction matters for tournament access, financial distributions, and development support.
What Cricket Do Associate Nations Play?
Associate nations play a variety of formats under ICC sanction: T20I cricket is the primary associate format — the ICC grants T20I status to all associate and affiliate members who meet specific criteria; ODI status is separately granted — some associate nations (currently around 20-25 nations beyond the 12 Full Members) have official ODI status; and no associate nation currently holds Test status (Test status requires Full Membership, which requires a specific development pathway). Associate nations compete in: ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualifiers (regional and global qualifier events); ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League (an ODI competition that determines direct qualification and qualifier spots); and regional association competitions (Asian Cricket Council, European Cricket Federation, African Cricket Association events).
Notable Associate Nations
Several associate nations have achieved significant results against Full Members: Scotland has defeated Pakistan (2021 T20 World Cup) and pushed major Full Members in ICC events — their qualified status and competitive performance makes them among the most prominent associates; Netherlands has beaten England (2022 T20 World Cup) and produced competitive performances against Full Members consistently; Oman's consistent qualification for T20 World Cups reflects their development program's success; Papua New Guinea (PNG) has qualified for multiple T20 World Cups through their Pacific regional pathway; and USA (United States) co-hosted the 2024 T20 World Cup and qualified as a co-host — their co-hosting of the event represents a specific ICC strategic decision to expand cricket's global footprint.
Frequently asked questions
Do associate nation matches count in ICC statistics?
It depends on the format and ICC status: T20I matches between associate nations (both with T20I status) count as official T20I matches — player statistics accumulate in ICC records, and the match outcome affects ICC T20I rankings; ODI matches between associate nations with ODI status similarly count as official ODIs; but matches between nations without official status (associate vs associate without T20I status, or associate vs non-member) don't count as official T20Is or ODIs; and no associate nation's matches count as Tests (only Full Member-vs-Full Member matches are Tests). The proliferation of associate nation T20I fixtures following the ICC's expansion of T20I status has increased the total number of official T20I matches dramatically — some Full Member players now compete against associate nations in T20I tri-series and bilateral fixtures that count for their official T20I records.
How do associate nations fund their cricket programs?
Associate nation cricket funding comes from multiple sources: ICC development grants (the ICC distributes a share of its commercial revenue to associate and affiliate members — the distribution is significantly less than what Full Members receive but provides a baseline); their national government's sports funding (some associate nations have government sports ministry support — USA cricket received significant government attention in the lead-up to the 2024 World Cup co-hosting); bilateral agreements and tours (associate nations earn revenue from hosting Full Member nations on tour — these tours are less frequent than Full Member bilateral series but provide significant income when they occur); and domestic league participation (players from associate nations who participate in global T20 leagues bring revenue back through player fees and raise the nation's cricket profile). Many associate nations operate on extremely limited budgets — some national cricket associations function largely on volunteer effort with very limited paid staff.
Can associate nations play in the same league as Full Member nations domestically?
In some domestic competitions, associate nation players participate alongside Full Member players: the IPL, BBL, CPL, and PSL regularly include players from associate nations (Scotland's Richie Berrington, the Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate, Ireland's Kevin O'Brien) — these players are contracted as international players for their respective national boards but compete in Full Member domestic leagues; some associate nations have bilateral T20 series against Full Members (Ireland vs England in bilateral T20Is, for example) — these official matches allow associate players to compete at the Full Member level; and county cricket (England's domestic competition) has historically included many associate nation players who qualify through residency or ancestry — building Full Member-level experience before international eligibility.