Will the Cricket World Cup Miss Associates Like Afghanistan and Ireland?

William Porterfield did not hold back when asked for his thoughts on the 2019 Cricket World Cup being cut to 10 teams: “They are closing the door on a lot of teams progressing throughout the world and that's sad to see.”

The Ireland captain has been vocal in his disappointment at the decision taken by the International Cricket Council to alter the structure of the next tournament, which will be staged in England.

He has also used social media to argue his case against change, via his Twitter account:

The 2015 World Cup saw 14 nations involved, including four Associates: Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and United Arab Emirates.

Unlike the 10 Full Members of the ICC, the quartet had to qualify to earn their places at the top table.

They will have to do the same for the next tournament, only now the goalposts have been moved. Well, actually it's more like they've been halved in size.

The hosts (England should be thankful they have been given a free pass too, considering their miserable efforts in Australia and New Zealand) and the top seven teams in the ICC ODI rankings at the end of September 2017 will be certain of a place.

The remaining two spots will be decided at the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be staged in Bangladesh. 

With two Full Members certain to be involved in that qualification tournament, there is the real possibility that all of the Associates could end up being spectators like the rest of us in 2019.

At a time when rugby union is considering expanding their World Cup, the ICC has decided to downsize.

In an interview with Simon Crawford of Sportinglife (which is where the opening quote also came from), Porterfield lobbied against the reforms:

"

A lot of other sports are openly coming out and saying they want to expand with rugby being the latest, just six months before their own World Cup is due to start.

You also see it in football - Gibraltar scored their first competitive goal last weekend when they played Scotland so credit to UEFA and FIFA for growing their sport and giving all countries a chance.

But the ICC seems intent on contracting our game so it will be interesting to see what happens.

They tried to reduce numbers for this World Cup but it was overturned so hopefully the same will happen.

"

He is not the only one who feels strongly about the situation.

Ex-India captain Rahul Dravid also spoke out against the proposal: “I just know how important this is for the growth of their game to be seen at a World Cup, the games being telecast live back home in terms of sponsorship, government funding. It’s so important for them to be a part of this premier event.”

ESPN Cricinfo’s Melinda Farrell reported that the great Sachin Tendulkar—who was part of the presentation committee at the World Cup final—had gone so far as to suggest the World Cup should include 25 teams.

The 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean had 16 participants, split into four groups of four.

That system was fine for the ICC until India lost to Bangladesh, meaning one of its powerhouse nations failed to qualify for the Super Eight stage.

Ireland did, however, make it through eight years ago. They toppled Pakistan and tied with Zimbabwe to get out of Group D.

In 2011 they would stun England, while this year Porterfield and his players got the better of West Indies in their opening World Cup fixture and also recorded wins over Zimbabwe and UAE.

Although they missed out on qualifying for the knockout stages on net run-rate, their performances further cemented their reputation for punching above their weight.

Afghanistan would like to be afforded enough opportunities to gain similar notoriety to their Irish counterparts.

Their rise has been rapid, not to mention inspiring, since they received ICC membership in 2001. At the World Cup in 2015 they won plenty of admirers, as well as a match.

The celebrations when Shapoor Zadran—who became a cult hero due to his long, flowing hair and desire to run in from the boundary rope—hit the winning runs to beat fellow Associate Scotland by one wicket provided one of the best images of the entire event. 

Dianne Manson/Associated Press

Such sights could be a thing of the past, unless the ICC has a change of heart in a hurry.

CEO Dave Richardson, per The Guardian, did not recently hint at a reversal, he said: “There are lots of commercial implications to consider. We also need to have a look at the attendances at all the associate games, what were the viewing figures, and see where they really stand.”

It would be a shame if cricket's governing body remains deaf to the chorus of disapproval (including an online petition signed by over 20,000 people who are against a 10-team World Cup). 

The ICC needs to care less about protecting its own and more about projecting the game beyond its current borders.

Ray Stefani on statslife.org.uk showed how more can actually mean less, outlining in an excellent article why a 15-team World Cup could see an expansion in participants without it meaning an extension of the schedule.

Afghanistan and Ireland would definitely back that idea. Without exposure at the highest level, they cannot be expected to thrive.