...the decision to limit the participants in the next Cricket World Cup to 14 and thereby reduce the minnows by two was not only inevitable, but in the hard world of commerce it was the correct decision.
We can all argue passionately about what Ireland did in the Caribbean last year, but virtually every match was David versus Goliath and our historic successes over Pakistan and Bangladesh, with a tie againstZimbabwe, were against a background of some heavy and embarrassing defeats. Other minnows suffered more at the hands of the big guns, but in reality Cricket World Cup is as much about making money as it is about sport, and when it came down to counting the dollars, the presence of Ireland and Bangladesh in the latter stages was a financial disaster for everyone. And the pain was felt as much by the Irish Cricket Union as the ICC and the hosting nations, as our limited resources were stretched to the limit to fund an unexpected prolonged stay and in cricket terms, we were totally out of our depth in all but one of the second series matches.
It may sound harsh, but that's the reality of life at the top of professional sport and until some dramatic progress is made on and off the field with the Associate nations, there is always going to be a sporting and financial imbalance between the elite test-playing nations and those who aspire to join their club. The bigger nations are rich and they command huge sponsorships so the absence of India and Pakistan from the latter stages last year was particularly painful for everyone.
The new format of two sections of seven teams will guarantee six matches for all the participants and give some insurance against the freak results that Ireland and Bangladesh inflicted on their more celebrated opponents. Also it will raise the standard by reducing the number of 'minnow matches' and allow the competition to be completed in a more timely manner.
The knee-jerk reaction in Ireland is to feel let down and to question the relevance of the ICC's High Performance Program, but in reality the Associate nations are light years away from the big boys in virtually every aspect of comparison on and off the field. And although the numbers have been reduced, Ireland still has a golden opportunity to qualify as four of the teams participating in the 12 Nations Qualifying Competition in United Arab Emirates next year will make the final tournament.
Professional sport is elitist and sponsors are really only interested in the big spoils so when it came down to counting the dollars then the Associate members are on a hiding to nothing. The ICC has a duty to run the competition as a business but if they are really serious about developing the game on a global basis then they have got to put some decent money into the coffers of the Associate members to allow them the opportunity to reach a higher level. Setting aside a million dollars to each of the top six Associate members for a three-year development program would go a long way to providing a level of financial security for these nations and is peanuts to the ICC.
If they are going to make money then surely they could put it to better use than giving more to the richer nations?
Clarence Hiles
Editor
