Even if the United Arab Emirates, in a miraculous turn of events, shocks India at Perth on February 28, the joy will not arrive without a hint of bitterness. While the win will resonate with International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 95 Associate and Affiliate members, they will prefer to smile and look away.
For, the prospect will only seem farther for teams like the UAE after this World Cup. From its next edition in 2019, the 50-over tournament will be open to only 10 sides. While the top eight nations in the ODI rankings will secure their spots automatically, another eight will fight for two places that will guarantee them at least nine matches at the showpiece event.
In a sense, the ICC has only returned to the normal. From 1983 to 2011, there has been a format change at every edition. The latest iteration, hence, is an exception.
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By the time the 2019 event begins, it could be the first not to feature a non-Test-playing nation. With the World T20 already expanded to 16 sides, the incentive to play 50-over cricket will only reduce for the lesser lights.
T20 reduces the gap between the teams, giving the weaker sides a better chance to upset the odds. But it is a victory in the 50-over format that carries greater weight. In a radio interview last year, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive Warren Deutrom pointed to the threat of ODIs losing context for the Associate nations.
“There's a risk that some lower-ranked Associates may wonder about playing 50-over with the only real pathway being into 20-over cricket,” reckoned Deutrom, whose country has bested Pakistan and England in the last two World Cups.
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While the ICC has laid another pathway for the Associates and Affiliates which could grant them a place in Tests, the decision to reduce the number of teams at the World Cup arguably speaks of a paralysed vision for cricket’s global development. Last year, the governing body had also decided to not pursue the opportunity for cricket’s participation at the 2024 Olympics.
Over the years, the Full Members (Test-playing countries) have displayed an unwillingness to help their poorer cousins’ development. Assistance has mostly arrived in terms of financial grants. Tim Wigmore — he recently co-authored ‘Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts’ with Peter Miller, a book that chronicles cricket’s history in non-Test-playing nations — feels that an application of the current vision would have not allowed Sri Lanka to claim its place among the elite.
“Ireland played just 11 ODIs against the full members between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, so it is little wonder that the players have defected to England. There is also an egregious discrepancy between the money awarded to the weakest full members and best associates. For example, Zimbabwe receive around six times as much as Ireland from the ICC,” said Wigmore, in an email.
While Ireland and Afghanistan have garnered the media attention with their exploits, Scotland, Nepal, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea, too, have experienced remarkable development in the past decade.
Despite their growth, the clamour for a shorter World Cup remains. There’s little doubt that the marquee tournament is too stretched out. Obviously, this means that the Associates and Affiliates come under the greatest threat whenever the issue is raised.
A 16-team World Cup based on the 2007 format seemed fairer than the current set-up, but the prevailing power structure in cricket and India’s group stage exit in that tournament ensured that the idea will never even come up for discussion again.
There are a few who suggest a more feasible, practical format. Every nation should be made to qualify, except the host, just like the football World Cup. While the big sides will still dominate the non-Test-playing teams, a qualifying tournament will at least give them a slim chance.
Given the ICC’s professed commitment to global development, a fair opportunity for the Associates and Affiliates is, by no means, an unreasonable request.