Minnows' path to 2015 looks closed

Captain Najeeb Amar kissed the ground at the Kowloon Cricket Club last Saturday after Hong Kong won the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament, and then said the ultimate aim for his bunch of weekend warriors was to play in the 2015 World Cup. But Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive, pours cold water on such ambitions by warning that the road to the 2015 World Cup in Australia is not set in stone for associate members.

"We are still debating on who will play at the 2015 World Cup," Lorgat says. "I would prefer the best 10 teams based on one day international rankings, yet I believe there is still room for the associate members. This is a work in progress and we will decide by the end of this year."

Unlike this month's World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the next edition will see fewer teams participating, with numbers cut from 14 to 10.

So does that mean only the 10 test-playing nations, or will there be some sort of qualifying path for the associate members, four of whom - Canada, Kenya, Ireland and the Netherlands - are taking part this time?

Hong Kong, who are in the top-12 associates after their fantastic performance and qualification into Division Two, are hoping the latter will be the case.

While soccer had 32 teams in its World Cup last year in South Africa, and rugby union will have 20 teams in New Zealand later this year, cricket is going the other way and reducing numbers.

Why? Lorgat, a chartered accountant by profession before being headhunted for the hot seat on the world governing cricket body in 2008, puts it down to the brash, relatively new game - Twenty20. "We reduced the World Cup [50 overs] to 10 teams but at the same time we have expanded the World Twenty20 to 16 teams," says Lorgat, who watched the Division Three final between Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. "The fact that we have expanded the World Twenty20 means we are actually promoting the game. We believe the Twenty20 format is more suited to provide the opportunity for the associates, as it is played every two years instead of every four years like the World Cup [50 overs]."

Lorgat, a South African who played first-class cricket, is quick to cut down critics who denigrate the Twenty20 version.

"Yes, the 50-over World Cup is our flagship event. That is the World Cup. But don't take away the glamour of the World Twenty20, it is equally a global event. It is also a better development tool. It's a far more evenly matched contest. In 50 overs you need more skill, and more experience."

Not everyone agrees. Michael Pedersen, a former MCC Young Cricketer and captain of the Denmark squad at the Division Three tournament, rues the fact there are fewer - if not any - chances to play in the World Cup proper."I feel sorry for teams like us who can only dream of playing in a World Cup," Pedersen says. "We are being denied the chance of having the experience of a lifetime. What the ICC must also remember is that teams like Ireland and the Netherlands have improved hugely after playing in a World Cup. The experience benefits an associate member."

John Cribbin, Hong Kong Cricket Association secretary, is also firmly opposed to the reduction in chances for associate members. "It is sad for cricket," says Cribbin, who was at the ICC chief executives' meeting when this decision was made. "If the ICC is serious about promoting the game, then the game they should encourage must be the 50 overs version. Pushing the Twenty20 version is a real kick in the teeth for associates and affiliate members. The ICC might look at that event as giving us our opportunity, but we don't see it that way."

It seems the interests of the big teams, especially that of India, have won the day. When the last ICC Future Tours Programme was being hammered out between the various boards of test-playing nations and the ICC, there was a huge push to increase the number of home-and-away tests and one day internationals between countries.

Something had to give, and apparently the sacrificial lamb was the World Cup, which had been criticised for being too long in its old format. More bilateral fixtures between countries meant more money for the individual boards - from television rights - and this resulted in pressure on the ICC, which has caved in.

Lorgat brushes aside the suggestion the big bad wolf was disguised in the clothing of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"Yes, all factors (money, sponsorship, marketing etc) were taken into account when we took the decision to reduce the World Cup to 10. But I can tell you TV didn't tell us to go to 10 teams. Some people have suggested the World Cup is too long and that is a relevant factor.

"But at the end of the day, this is all part of the ICC's strategic restructuring of international cricket. We introduced the test championship model so the top four will go into the play-offs. We reduced the World Cup to 10 so as to make it more competitive and we have now expanded the World Twenty20 to 16 teams (from 12)," he said.

So Hong Kong's march into Division Two last weekend might not have brought them closer to the golden chalice.

"Are you belittling my World Twenty20," smiles Lorgat. Indeed not. But the wickets have been moved, no doubt about that.