Explainer: Can a country field two teams in international cricket at once

Cricket fans currently have two things to follow at once, and that has doubled the excitement. The Indian team is playing a home ODI series against the West Indies, while India is also taking part in the Asian Games underway in Japan. This might sound odd, since it raises the question of how a team from the same country can play in two different places in two different events at the same time. But that is exactly what is happening. So how can the Indian team take the field in two different competitions at once? Here is what the ICC rules say on this.

Under ICC rules, two separate national teams from the same country can play in different international competitions at the same time. There is no restriction from the ICC on this, so it is not against the rules. But there is one condition that needs to be kept in mind. Two teams from the same country can take the field in different competitions at the same time, but two teams cannot play in the same competition. In other words, this is possible only if the competitions are different, a team cannot be split within the same competition.

For example, the Asian Games are currently underway in Japan. India cannot field two men's teams in that event at the same time. Just as a country cannot field two official teams in the same One Day World Cup or T20 World Cup, the same applies here. But if the competitions are different, that is, one is the bilateral series against the West Indies and the other is the Asian Games, then two teams can play at the same time, as this example makes clear.

The ICC has also clarified the rule regarding two teams in different competitions. If two separate bilateral series or multi-nation events are being held at the same time, a country can send two different teams. Both these matches are recognised by the ICC as official international matches, meaning the teams playing in both places are recognised as the official Indian team.

Along with the rules for teams, the ICC has also laid down some guidelines for players. The rule states that the same player cannot be in the playing eleven of two different official matches on the same day or at the same time. This means that if a country is playing in different competitions at the same time, the players in the two teams must be completely different. In other words, the players playing in the ODI series against the West Indies and those playing at the Asian Games cannot be the same. In short, two different squads from the same country can take the field in different competitions, but players cannot be swapped between the two at the same time.