Editorial: ICC Must Reject Proposed World Cup Format Changes
The International Cricket Council must insist that there is no reduction in teams for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
The tournament’s hosts India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have proposed that the number of teams that should compete at the 2011 event be reduced to just 14, with four associate countries “allowed” entry instead of six.
In other sports, such a proposal would be laughed at and shown the door without hesitation. Cricket, however, is a game that pays little attention to the spirit of competing and the cultural diversity that should automatically constitute a “World” Cup event.
Subsequently, this narrow minded and ill conceived proposal is actually being considered by the game’s governing body. Cricket World Cups are owned by the ICC and allocated to grateful and supposedly gracious hosts but such is the financial clout wielded by India (BCCI) these days, it is feared that the game’s keepers will cave in to BCCI pressure.
Global Cricket
I thought it was about time I started my own blog. I have followed associate and affiliate cricket since 1998. Tony Munro’s BTTW column was a great inspiration. Global Cricket will specifically focus on the non-test playing cricket nations of the world. At present there are 91 countries that have associate or affiliate membership of The International Cricket Council. Most of these nations aspire to play at the highest level. How are they bridging the gap in standards? Do they have good facilities, strong development programs and sound administrative practices in place? There is a need for cricket to embrace a more diverse cultural outlook if it is to prosper in the future. The ICC’s global development program was first initiated in 1997 and began to really take shape after the 2001 ICC Trophy in Toronto, Canada. Although a new cricketing powerhouse is yet to emerge, it is clear that standards are improving dramatically and in time more nations will be able to compete with the 10 full members. I will be featuring newspaper articles of interest, opinion pieces and articles written by myself and some ideas about expanding the game. Please feel free to comment.-Ben Stinga
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