ICC decision on World Cup 'outrageous'

CRICKET:CRICKET IRELAND chief executive Warren Deutrom has branded the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision yesterday to restrict the 2015 World Cup to just the 10 full member countries as "outrageous" and has vowed to "fight like hell" the plan to slam the door on the other 95 countries affiliated to the world governing body.

The decision, taken yesterday in Mumbai, came as a hammer blow to both players and administrators of the game here after Ireland’s fine showing at the recent World Cup, which saw them beat England in dramatic fashion and also record a victory over fellow Associate country the Netherlands.

The ICC were expected to reduce the competition from 14 to 10 for the 2015 staging in Australia and New Zealand, but to keep open a qualification process for the remaining countries. There was even talk in the last few days that they may consider 12 teams.

In a brief statement released after yesterday’s meeting, those ideas were shot down as the ICC shut up shop for 2015, while offering the briefest mention that qualification is still a possibility for the 2019 staging in England, an event that will also be contested by just 10 teams.

Deutrom, who previously worked for the ICC before taking up his role with Cricket Ireland, did not hold back in his reaction to the decision. “I’ve been involved in the ICC for the best part of nine or 10 years now and I can honestly say that I’m ashamed to be part of that system today,” he said.

“I cannot think of a decision which is less cognisant of the principals of sport and fair play than the one that has been taken today. It absolutely flies in the face of all the evidence that has been possible to accrue over the last four years as regards Ireland’s performances, not just in the World Cup in 2007 but also in this World Cup and the intervening four years.”

Deutrom also pointed to the fact that Ireland are now ranked 10th in the world, ahead of full member country Zimbabwe, as an example of how flawed the decision is.

“One piece of evidence is obvious: a team whom we have outranked for most of the last four years will gain automatic entry to this event at our expense. It is frankly outrageous,” he added.

Many of the current Irish squad have now been deprived of one last chance to play in a 50-over World Cup, and Ireland captain William Porterfield expressed his opinion that money, not cricket, was the sole motivation behind the decision.

“I think it’s an absolute disgrace, I think it’s a joke,” said Porterfield. “I don’t know where they are coming from or how they can decide that. Obviously a lot of it revolves around money.”

And Porterfield believes the ICC’s decision to expand the biennial World Twenty20 to 16 teams from next year, with six Associate or Affiliate teams qualifying, is a mere sop and again motivated by financial reasons.

“I think that means absolutely nothing. The only reason there’s 16 teams is because they think they’ll get more games and there’s more money to be made in Twenty20 cricket.

“What is the goal now for Associate countries? What have they got to aspire to? To cricketers growing up in many countries, you’ve just shut off a dream for them, to be able to play in World Cups and compete against the best.”