The ICC may have placated the Associate nations by refraining from reducing the number of countries participating in the World Cup from 14 to 10, but the apex-body still seem to have got their goat. And this time it can be attributed to their sudden decision to reduce the number of sides in the World T20 from 16 to 12!
ICC’s Decision To Reduce World T20 Teams Baffling
ICC’s deal was simple. Based on what most thought was a sudden whim, they had decided to reduce the number of World Cup teams to 10. In the 2007 World Cup, there were 16 teams and the tournament was said to be long and winding. In its 2011 avatar, the number of sides participating was reduced to 14 and yet, there were murmurs of its length.
So, in one stroke, ICC reduced the number to 10. To further rub salts into the Associates’ wounds, the ICC also decided that for the 2015 version of the tournament, there would be no qualifiers – the ten Test-playing nations would participate in the tournament. As crumbs, the ICC offered the Associates a better chance of competing in the T20 World Cup by allowing 16 teams (10 Test-playing and six qualifying Associates) there, instead of 12 that had played in the first three editions of the tournament.
The cricketing world was rocked by this stunning decision and almost three months after this, castigated and panned by every cricket fan worth his salt, the ICC were left with no option but to reverse this decision.
However, with the Associates having already begun preparation for the World T20 in anticipation of a 16-member tournament, the ICC has now decided to reduce the participation to 12.
While having 12 (or 16 or any other teams) may have its own merits and demerits, the question that needs to be asked is whether it behoves the apex body of one of the biggest international sport in the world to behave in the aforementioned, random manner. It is a joke that it is a T20 World Cup, which, in all probability is less than 12 months away and the ICC has yet to decide on the number of teams which will participate in it.
At best, the behaviour reeks of taking its member nations for granted. At worst, it speaks of the ICC’s indecisive nature in making basic decisions like these.
It is no surprise then, that the Associates are angry again and have decided to take on the ICC over it. Once more!
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