2015 Cricket World Cup

So, well done to India on regaining the Cricket World Cup! Deserving winners, they played very well, and delivered the top prize to their completely Cricket-nutty citizens! And well done to the fans for delivering a splash of colour. 

I know the tournament was not without controversy, but overall, it has proven to be quite a success! Though, didnt it drag! I suppose this is the problem with Cricket. This is a world cup played with games lasting a whole day. Therefore, the players need a decent amount of time to rest in between. Also, with there only being 14 teams, there is not that much going on at any one time, unlike the Football World Cup, which has 2 or 3 games every day.

And now, the ICC Board opted to streamline the next world cup by basically limiting it to the top 10 test-playing nations (those that play the full 5 day version of the game. England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). The 10 test nations where already in the 2011 tournament by right, and then a qualification tournament was set up for the ICC associate members for the last 4 slots. At the 2011 tournament, these where Ireland, Canada, Kenya, and the Netherlands.

The ICC argued that the World Cup was just too long, and the next one needed to be cut. Not surprisingly, the associate members have been kicking up a stink, and I understand why.

It is a remarkable decision, and to me, smacks of a stitch-up. After all, in the one-day rankings, Zimbabwe are ranked BELOW Ireland, and lets not forget that the Irish did for England, and the Dutch also ran england close. In fact, all of the associate members, they where not total walkovers for all their games in the 2011 world Cup. There was the occasional blowout, but it was not the norm.

I understand the associate members ire, because a lot of them have secure funding to help grow their sports, on the strength of getting into the world cup this time, and next. Of course, all this is now in jeopardy. The associate members are now have problems because the next possible World Cup will be 2019 in England. This means that for the next world tournament organised for associate members, there is no ultimate prize. Therefore, why should they take part?

Also, for the likes of Ireland, after doing for England, and doing really well, to be excluded from the next tournament is particularly galling, given how they are ranked above Zimbabwe, a full test nation.

One argument levelled as a way of excusing this limitation is that the associate nations "are not good enough." Well, neither where Sri Lanka. However, after a couple of successful World Cups, Sri Lanka where promoted to full test status. Ireland feel that they are getting close. This last World Cup really was their breakout year. A successful 2015 would show that Ireland has really made the steps they needed to, or if 2011 was a flash in the pan. If Ireland then went on to do something big in 2019, then the call for Ireland to be a full test nation would be very, very hard to resist.

The World Cup should not be limited. OK, it takes a long time, but Cricket is the longest game on earth! All the other World Cups involve games that can be done in a couple of hours. Even the Baseball Classic involves Baseball, a relatively slow game that is done in an evening. 

Also, the Cricket World Cup is for nations that can qualify for it. If the ICC insists it is for the best 10 (the test nations) then that argument is already moot, since in the one day game, Ireland as an associate member, are ranked higher than Zimbabwe! If it is just for the 10 test nations, it is not a real World Cup, but just an invitational tournament. 

A World Cup is for the world. OK, if they feel the need to guarantee the top teams a spot, fine. But it cant be for the test nations seeing as how this is the one day game, not the five day game. Most of the top test nations take the top slots in the ranking anyway. You could have a cutoff point and anyone below that point then has to go through a qualification tournament. With regards timing, well, unless we cut the 1 day game down, there is no real way of shortening the World Cup. Well, they did that, but the shortened version already has its own World Cup, in the Twenty 20 format!

I feel this is a retrograde step for Cricket. The associate nations are trying their hardest to grow the sport, and to take away the World Cup will set back their efforts by decades on the back of this!

Though the good news is that on the back of the strength of feeling from associate nations such as Canada, the Netherlands, Kenya the Italians, and of course, Ireland, the chief of the ICC has instructed the board to revisit this decision. Probably because this will drive a huge split in the game which will take forever to heal, but also because the associate nations have a better than evens chance of winning any litigation!