Minnows will be barred from the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after the ICC refused to heed howls of outrage from the game’s developing nations.
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said the World Twenty20 will be increased to 16 teams instead of 12, while the 50-over World Cup will be trimmed down to 10 from the current 14.
The ICC’s argument, echoed by Cricket Australia, is that minnows are better suited to playing the T20 format
“We have felt in the past few years that Twenty20 is the best format to develop the game world-wide and it provides a better environment for competition,” Lorgat said.
“The 50-over format is more skill-based and suitable for the top teams.”
Lorgat’s views, ahead of the 50-over World Cup starting on Saturday, is bound to further anger the minnows, who believe they are being muscled out in favour of the Test-playing nations.
Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears said on Thursday the ICC will not be acting in the interests of the game if the smaller teams were locked out of the next World Cup.
“If we have to improve on the standards, there is no point of denying us the opportunity of competing at the top level,” Sears told AFP.
“We had a meeting with the other associate countries during the World Cup training camp in Dubai last week, and we plan to raise the matter again at the World Cup.
“We are disturbed about the whole issue,” he added.
In an interview with the Wisden Cricketer magazine, Sears termed the decision as “scandalous and bloody ridiculous”.
“I’ve no desire to be diplomatic… Not to let anyone else in is scandalous. It’s all about money, power and votes – and that’s not good for cricket,” he said.
Plans for the 10-team version are already well advanced, as CA and NZ Cricket work to finalise fixtures and venue allocations.
“Emerging nations are important but it is also important to tighten the World Cup,” a CA spokesman said.
“Our view is that it has been too long for a number of years and the public have become confused by it and lost interest in it.”
Competing players at the 2011 tournament are united in their view that smaller nations should still be given a chance in the 50-over event.
Australian paceman Shaun Tait has said it would be unfair to rob emerging nations of the opportunity.
“There’s no reason why you can’t have those teams in the competition,” he said.
“To play against the best players and sides in the world is massive and I wouldn’t want to take that away from anyone.”
Former Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo and batsman Collins Obuya have also voiced their concern, saying the World Cup remained vital for the development of associate nation cricket.
While there have been some hugely lop-sided contests down the years, there have also been some memorable “giantkillings”.
Kenya became the first non-Test playing team to reach the semi-finals in 2003, and Ireland produced their biggest upset over Pakistan in the 2007 tournament in the West Indies.
Ironically, a poll on the ICC’s website showed 73 per cent in favour of a 16-team World Cup in 2015 with only nine per cent supporting a 10-team competition.
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