The International Cricket Council are considering increasing the number of teams in the men’s T20 World Cup to 20, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

There are currently 16 teams in the T20 World Cup - the next edition of which will take place in Australia this October - but the ICC is mulling over increasing this number as part of broader discussions for the shape of the international cricket calendar from 2023-2031. The first T20 World Cup in this cycle is scheduled for 2024, meaning this stands to be the first to use a new 20-team format.

It is understood that, if the T20 World Cup were expanded to 20 teams, several options are being considered for the format of the competition. One option is for all 20 teams to enter at the same stage, meaning that a simple format of four groups of five teams each could be used, with leading teams then advancing to the knockout stages.

Alternatively, the two-tier format currently used in the T20 World Cup - with leading countries only joining the tournament in the second stage, and other countries having to qualify from the first stage for the right to join them - could be persisted with. The additional countries would then feed into an enlarged opening stage of the tournament.