Roddy Smith urges Associates and Affiliates to resist World Cup reductions

Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith has outlined his concern at the apparent "ridiculous" push to reduce the World Cup from 14 nations to 12 or even 10 by 2015.

International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat let slip last week that his Chief Executives' Committee favours a reduction in the number of teams competing at the 50-over showpiece and an increase in participants at the World Twenty20.

Although Lorgat stressed that this is one of many considerations on the table for the future governance of the game, the fact that he volunteered that this specific change of direction is “possible” suggests it is the preference of a majority of the nations whose financial might sets the tone for the world game. It is understood that not only do the power-brokers want to dispose of the current 14-team World Cup, but they have placed on the table a new 10-team
format.

Smith has responded by urging fellow governors of associate and affiliate members to resist the idea as strongly as possible, claiming that the days of the World Cup being the sole preserve of a few would be “disastrous” for Scottish cricket, where the 50-over format underpins the game at all levels.

"Reducing the World Cup to ten teams would be a massive backward step for the leading Associates and Affiliates, and it would go against the direction that every other World Cup in the world is heading," he said. "All the other World Cups are growing rather than shrinking.

“Accepting that there are commercial, and some cricketing arguments, for reducing the number is fair, but 10 is ridiculous.

"The message it would send out is that world cricket is again dominated by the few, and that nobody else is allowed to gate-crash their party. Also, it would undo all of the good work done by the ICC's High Performance Programme over the last five years."

The most depressing aspect of the proposed changes is that the World Twenty20 would grow to 16 nations - the tournament would thus be split into four groups of four, meaning a team's campaign could be over after three games and less than 100 overs. Had Scotland qualified for next February's World Cup, by contrast, they would have been planning for a guaranteed six one-day internationals.

"I can understand that Twenty20 is a useful vehicle for growing the game in new countries, but ODI cricket is our bread and butter," said Smith. "Expanding the World T20 and reducing the 50-over World Cup is not the answer.

“The issue of the number of teams in a world cup is important but not as much as the overall context of cricket. It is vital that the aspiring countries see a pathway to playing the top teams more often.

“World cricket needs to be a meritocracy where your opponents and place in the world order is dictated by your results, not by the fact you are a full, associate or affiliate member.

“Everyone is clear and thankful that the ICC has invested significant sums in growing the game globally and improving the better associate countries’ on-field performance, and there can be no doubt this has been a huge success story.

“However, for this to have a real long-term effect we must also have a meritocratic system across the world - a divisional ODI league would be an excellent start point with promotion and relegation for all members - that would give all ODI cricket 'context'.

“The ICC I am sure will be discussing this issue at length in the coming months but at the forefront of the 'context' debate must be what is right for the game first and foremost. The balance between the commercial and cricketing objectives must be right.”

Report by Jon Coates