If you go to International Cricket Council’s website, home page
highlights their Strategic Direction – “Our
long-term success will be judged on growth in participation and public interest
and the competitiveness of teams participating in men's and women's
international cricket” its mission says “promoting the global game”.
How about if you
really judge their success in terms of this mission?
Since 1989, ICC
has added Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to its Full Member List (10 out of a total
membership of 106) along with South Africa who was anyways “reelected”. Out of 106,
these 10 are Full Members and rest either Associates or Affiliates.
As you know by now that it’s the
Full Member nations: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand,
Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe who have the right
to play Test Cricket – this also means that they don’t have to qualify for the
World Cups. And you know these teams very well; they are the only ones who play
cricket for you, right?
Associate members on the other hand
are supposed to qualify for the World Cup Tournament, though; they are eligible
to play One Day Cricket with Full Members as well. From ICC’s website:
“ICC One
Day International World
Cricket League One
Day International status, which allows associate and
affiliate teams to be eligible to play the full members and play-official ODI
cricket.”
Do you know that Afghanistan (who
nearly pulled off a set back against Sri Lanka on 22nd Feb Game),
Ireland (who crushed Full Member West Indies on Feb 16th World Cup Game), and
Scotland (who made New Zealand work hard for their game on Feb 17th game) are actually
eligible to “grow by playing more one day internationals against full members”?
Now, when was the last time you saw
these Associate Members touring or inviting any of the Full Members? And do you
know that the next two world cups might be played only between 10 countries and
not 14 like in this world cup? So no Ireland and Afghanistan in the next World
Cup.
How then ICC will reach its mission
of “promoting the global game”? (To be continued…)
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