ICC still deciding on minnows' fate for 2019 Cup

The number of teams taking part in the 2019 World Cup hasn’t been finalised, the International Cricket Council says.

It is an apparent softening of the stance of the game’s governing body, which has faced growing criticism of its proposal to cut out cricket’s so-called “minnows”.

Critics say the plan risks damaging the sport’s development.

The ICC wants to reduce the number of teams involved in England in four years’ time to 10 from the 14 taking part in the current tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

“I’ve learnt never to say never to anything. I’m sure the format of the next World Cup will be debated after this one has finished,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said.

Ireland beat one of the elite Test match nations for the third successive World Cup when they defeated the West Indies by four wickets in their 2015 opener earlier in the tournament.

Ireland’s captain William Porterfield took aim at the ICC’s decision before their win over the United Arab Emirates in Brisbane earlier this week.

“I think it’s frustrating whenever you come to tournaments and the governing body wants to keep cutting teams,” Porterfield said.

“I think it’s the only sport in the world that does that when it comes to world events.”

In addition to Ireland, tournament debutants Afghanistan defeated Scotland by one wicket to record their first World Cup win on Thursday in Dunedin.

“I’m pleased with the performances of the qualifiers so far, but the bigger tests are still to come,” said Richardson.

“The question is what do you want the World Cup to be? Do you want it to be a jamboree of world cricket or the pinnacle of the one-day game?”

“Heading into this tournament there was criticism that the format would leave us with a long group stage at the end of which the eight teams everyone thought would get through had made it into the quarter-finals.”

Asked what his feelings were following the improved showing by the four minnows, Richardson said: “There’s a sense of relief. Our biggest concern before the tournament was that these teams would be uncompetitive.”

Richardson said the thinking in reducing the number of teams had been motivated by the experience of the 1992 World Cup, when the tournament was last staged in Australia and New Zealand.

According to Richardson, the 1992 event had the “best format” of any of cricket’s 11 World Cups, with the then nine competing sides all playing each other with the top four from the round-robin phase going straight into the semi-finals.

“The best format was 1992,” said Richardson, South Africa’s wicketkeeper at that World Cup. “You had nine teams, then the semi-finals. There was something up for grabs in every match.”