CHENNAI: The previous edition of the ODI World Cup, hosted by England four years ago, was the only showpiece event in its 45-year-old long history that did not feature a team from an associate nation. The tournament, which started with eight teams in 1975, saw the participating nations rise to 16 in 2007. Since then, it has only decreased with the next two editions (2011 and 2014) witnessing 14 teams and 10 in the next two in 2019 and 2023.
The board of the International Cricket Council, however, decided to make it a 14-team affair for 2027 and 2031. The expansion means unlike the 2019 World Cup, the next two editions can have a maximum of two teams from the associate nations if the number of full members remains at 12 till then. "It (World Cup participation) motivates the associate nations to do better. This motivation is a prerequisite to ensure their overall performance keeps improving," Lalchand Rajput, technical director of Zimbabwe, who missed out on a spot for the 2023 edition, told this daily from Harare.
In fact, it was two years ago that the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to expand the tournament. It was made possible only after a few members like Cricket Ireland made a submission to the world governing body to restore the 14-team format in the event. "The first thing to say is that ICC and the members responded strongly to the need to restore the 14-team CWC – in particular, BCCI's secretary Jay Shah’s personal support was critical and extremely welcome," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's Chief Executive Officer, informed this daily through an e-mail. The submission was not discussed but also appended to the paper the ICC circulated at the chief executives' committee meeting in early 2021." ICC had done an excellent job in consulting with members on the issue, and I think it achieved an outcome which will ultimately be in the best interest of the game," Deutrom added.
The expansion is something for which the associate nations have been fighting at least since 2012. Their persistent demands were the reason the ICC reached a compromise formula by increasing the number of teams in the T20 WC to 16 and reducing the teams in the ODI mega event to 10, which was implemented in the last eight-year cycle. Sumod Damodar, one of the elected associate member representatives (Botswana) and a part of the 20-strong ICC Chief Executives Committee, is one of them and he feels more nations are ready to take the plunge as far as the ODI World Cup is concerned.
"... when you ask me, what is my opinion on the 10-team format and the 14-team format, the 10 teams at the time when it was introduced seemed right because, at that time, there were only eight or nine full members and the number of full members increased to 10 first and then to 12. So at that time, it seemed okay. Today, the associate members, whether it be an ODI or T20, men or women, there are upsets being caused with four members and increasingly so, which means the associate members are ready. I think the likes of Scotland, Netherlands and Namibia in the men, Thailand and so on. And the women are ready. I think they're absolutely ready to go for the big game," Damodar told this daily.
Rajput feels going back to the 14-team format will have long-term positive impacts on the associate nations making the sport global. "Participation fees these nations get from the ICC help them in developing cricketing infrastructure in their respective countries. It happened in the case of Afghanistan. I have seen those developments from close quarters. They have come a long way since they first featured in the 2015 ODI and 2016 T20 World Cups. They don't train or play on their home grounds but I have been told they have built two or three stadiums in Kabul, which in turn is attracting a lot of young talents," said Rajput. "Their participation in WC will help them attract sponsors. Once they have the money inflow then they can develop and promote the game like any full nation. Besides, any competition has a big reach these days with a lot of channels and OTT platforms streaming it. Whenever such a team plays in big tournaments, the whole nation will watch its players in action. It will not only increase the fan base but also prepare a new generation of players, who will be ready to take the field in a few years down the line," added the former India international.
While the number of teams have gone up to 14 for the 2027 and 2031 edition, the conversation doesn't end there. With the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 LA Olympics, the need for the conversation around the consistent expansion is relevant now more than ever. Damodar believes openness of mind is key to take the sport forward. "One has to be prepared to say, ‘right? You know what? Yeah, some of us, we will lose our comfort base, but it is not going to take anything away from the game.' It is actually only going to help the game. We always said that no individual, no team, no administrator, no player, nobody is bigger than the game. But for that, we have to respect the game also to understand that we have to allow the game, the room and the capacity to actually show what it's all about. We have to allow the global spectators and the fans to be able to, at one point in time, support their respective country. We also need to be logical about how we express our views," says Damodar.
Rajput believes that having more countries in the World Cup will only make them more competitive with time. "Once you start competing against the big teams, your performance will improve automatically as you have to step up your game. The improved performance will make sure you will get noticed. It will also mean you get to play various T20 leagues across the globe. It had happened with the Afghanistan players and now they are playing IPL and almost all the T20 leagues. Anyway, these teams hardly get to play a bilateral series against big nations so why not give them a chance in the World Cup once every four years? It will only popularise the sport in their countries and help the sport gain foothold," Rajput signed off.
(With inputs from Gomesh S)