The cricket boards of Scotland and the Netherlands have criticised the International Cricket Council for structural changes made to the men’s 50-over World Cup.

Last month the ICC announced the main part of the tournament for 2027 would be 12 teams in two groups of six, rather than 14 as originally planned.

The three lowest-ranked qualifiers will instead be placed in a preliminary three-team Super Series, from which only the winner will progress.

It effectively means the likes of Scotland and the Netherlands face three qualifying tournaments to reach the main group stage of the World Cup.

A joint statement from Cricket Scotland and Royal Dutch Association (KNCB) said they had “significant concerns” about the “impact of these changes” along with the “process through which they have been introduced”.

“The changes risk weakening the integrity and credibility of international cricket, and only highlights the importance of strong governance, transparent decision-making and effective engagement with members,” the statement said.

“Changing those structures at short notice creates significant uncertainty, disrupts planning, and places additional operational and financial pressure on organisations that are already operating with limited resources.”

Patterson is a product of Sunderland’s academy and made his senior debut for the Black Cats in a 2-1 EFL Trophy loss to Fleetwood Town in 2020-21.

He made his league bow in the following season and, after joining Notts County on loan for the opening half of the 2021-22 campaign, he helped Sunderland gain promotion into the Championship via the League One play-offs.

In 2024-25, Patterson featured 45 times in the Championship as his side beat Sheffield United in the play-off final at Wembley to gain promotion into the Premier League.

Having featured just once for the top-flight side in the first half of last season after falling behind Robin Roefs in the pecking order, Patterson spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Millwall.

He featured 16 times across all competitions for the Lions.

Patterson – who has made 169 competitive appearances for the Black Cats – featured as a substitute for Sunderland as Regis Le Bris’ side beat Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Philadelphia’s Subaru Park on 2 August.

Wrexham have already added full-back Danny Imray and midfielder Ben Whiteman to their ranks this summer.

But speaking ahead of his side’s 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough in the first round of the Carabao Cup, Parkinson said there was still work to be done on the squad.

“We feel we’re not where we need to be yet and we know that,” he said.

“We’re working, as ever, to make sure that the squad is as strong as it needs to be in what is going to be an incredibly competitive division.

“We’re under no illusions about that. We’ve got to make this squad so strong and we are working tirelessly to bring those extra players in to give everybody a boost.”

Ashton acknowledges that one of the key lessons from their previous Premier League campaign was the need to bring in more athletic players “with a different set of physical attributes”.

The midfield lacked power and ball-winning ability in 2024-25, and it is imperative that new arrivals Florentino Luis and Sasa Lukic – both experienced at the highest level – hit the ground running. That will be especially important with last season’s mainstays Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor doubtful for the opening game following operations over the summer.

It is no surprise that O’Neil is also seeking greater cutting edge given that no Ipswich player scored more than 10 non-penalty goals in the Championship last season.

The Blues broke their transfer record to sign Brazilian striker Emersonn, 22, for an initial £24m. He certainly fits the desired physical profile but is relatively raw, having only established himself as a regular last season at Toulouse, where he scored seven goals in 31 appearances, 22 of them starts.

Maeda, a hardworking forward or winger, had an excellent record at Celtic, netting 79 times in 212 games, but won’t get the same volume of chances in a team battling to stay up.

The Suffolk side have also recruited two Dutch goalkeepers, including Kjell Scherpen, whose imposing 6ft 9in (2.06m) frame means he is set to become the tallest player to appear in the Premier League.

With a new manager in place and a £30m training ground redevelopment close to completion, this could be a defining summer for Ipswich. But will their transfer business be enough to secure successive top-flight campaigns for the first time in a quarter of a century?

Only three promoted clubs have splashed out more in a summer window – Sunderland in 2025, Nottingham Forest in 2022 and Aston Villa in 2019 – and all survived.

Yet Fulham, Southampton, Burnley and Ipswich themselves have spent comparable figures in recent years only to swiftly return to the Championship – with that level of investment increasingly the bare minimum needed to be competitive rather than a guarantee of safety.