Long before the euphoria of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the executive board of the International Cricket Council (ICC) accepted a recommendation that would ensure big money to the council, but ignore the overall development of the game.
Last October, the board approved that the 2015 Cricket World Cup (CWC) will consist of only 10 permanent nations and there will be no opportunities for other nations to participate in the tournament.
Why? The prime reason ICC gave earlier that more teams would extend the duration of the tournament is unfounded because the 2015 CWC will most probably consist of a total of 48 matches. This is because the 10 full members will compete in a round-robin league before the semifinals. The 2011 CWC, with 14 teams, has 49 matches.
Will one additional match make a CWC long and boring? Obviously not. The ICC is more concerned about money the CWC makes and, sadly, not interested about the matches or teams or in the development of the game.
It´s a big setback for the associate countries. There were six of them in 2007. The number was decreased to four for 2011. It´s likely that there will be none in 2015. There are only six other nations with One-Day International (ODI) status, apart from the permanent 10, and even they have no chance of qualifying for the ODI WC. World Cups are the ultimate target of any team or player, be they in any sports, and when the hopes to participate in them are dashed, it´s a big disappointment for all those who love the games.
There is already a bi-annual event for the 10 nations, the ICC Champions Trophy — and it too stays on to be a money-spinner for the cricket governing body. As compensation, the associate and affiliate nations, who seemingly do not have a chance get elevated to Test-nation status, can compete in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup featuring 16 teams.
Twenty20 format of cricket is the most unpredictable one and every cricket fan knows that it´s not the best format for the development of cricket in the nations where it is growing. This makes the situation more confusing. On one hand, ICC has repeatedly said it wants to develop cricket of all nations, but on the other, they are luring growing teams into a game that´s most unsuitable for their development.
Like majority of cricketers from the emerging nations, Nepal´s captain Paras Khadka, too, has been disappointed with the decision. But he thinks that since the ICC had changed the structure of cricket every time for the last few CWCs, the decision to play only 10 nations may be dropped at last. His might be an opinion on an optimistic note but it also reflects the ICC´s lack of commitment towards its own decisions, visions and plans.
With a hope that ICC will change its decision after 2015, there are a few things that ICC could do to really compensate for the injury made by the decision to the cricket.
The one that I would love to see is integration of at least two qualifiers to the ICC Champions Trophy.
The other, and more easier, is to give a good prize money to the top 12 associate nations (doesn´t need to be as extravagant as the CWC money) and ensure that the event is broadcasted live across the world.
Let´s hope ICC will think wisely on the development of cricket, rather than becoming purely a corporate enterprise with plans, visions and programs designed only to earn profits.
(As published in Republica under Sporty Spirit column)