...but perhaps deep down we all felt there would be a change of heart and some sanity would prevail. Admittedly our optimism was fuelled by that great win over England and even if the other Associate performances were modest overall, we still felt that was a huge statement for the Associates' cause. But Ireland did much better than just beat England. They competed admirably in all their matches and they won the highest respect from their peers, the television commentators, the Indian public and millions of television viewers all over the world. They also produced the greatest individual performance in Kevin O'Brien's whirlwind century and their two record chases were magnificent. Quite simply Ireland gave the competition some sparkle for their pluck and fighting spirit and they deserved better.
Indeed cricket deserves better.
The ICC is a disgrace as a governing body of world cricket and does not deserve to hold such status on the simple basis that it runs a closed shop! Test cricket is a closed shop, ODI cricket is now a closed shop and if Twenty20 cricket is the avenue to spread the gospel of cricket to the other 95 countries around the globe then surely the time has come to break away and form an alternative governing body? Of course the argument will be where do the funds come from and that's exactly where the ICC has got its stranglehold. This is all about money, greed and self-preservation. The top countries don't want their pot of gold diluted and right now the Asian countries have the voting power to ensure there will be no radical change.
And what of the other countries? After all, the ICC is the product of each test nation so we have to assume that every test country feels the same way and wants to exclude the Associate countries. We can certainly see where India, Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka are coming from as they command the biggest drawing power and all the lucrative spin-offs from television and sponsorship. And we can see where West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are coming from because they are the most threatened by top Associate countries like Ireland, so they will not want to self-destruct by including the minnows.
But what of New Zealand? They have bags of cricket talent, but the Black Caps don't draw big crowds and if any country should have an appreciation of the difficulty in getting to the Master's Table then it should be New Zealand who toiled for many years to get recognition.
Sadly the great cricket nations don't give a dam about the minnows, as they are selfish, self-centred and self-preserving. They are on the gravy train and quite happy to exclude anyone who threatens to take some of their spoils. It may be legitimate, but it morally wrong for a world governing body to exclude 90% of its members from participation in a competition that is given world status.
The great Sir Everton Weekes summed it up this afternoon in discussion when he said; "It is a disgrace. Ireland provided so much entertainment they did not deserve this."
Others may put it in less diplomatic words!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
