The ICC announced earlier this month that participation at the 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cups would be restricted to just the 10 full ICC member teams. However, protests from some of the excluded Associate national teams, including Ireland and Kenya, appear to have prompted the ICC into a rethink.
“I have given this matter further serious thought and will request the board to consider this topic once more,” said Pawar. “I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible.” A statement from the ICC added that its executive board will reconsider the composition of the 2015 tournament during its annual conference in Hong Kong at the end of June.
As part of the proposals introduced in the wake of this year’s Cricket World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC stated that the World Twenty20 tournament would be expanded to 16 teams to ensure that non Test-playing nations would still benefit from international exposure. However, with Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom having described the plans as “outrageous”, the proposals are now on hold.
Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears was also critical of the initial decision to exclude Associate nations from the Cricket World Cup, telling The Wisden Cricketer: “I've no desire to be diplomatic. Not to let anyone else in is scandalous. It's all about money, power and votes – and that's not good for cricket.”
