ICC keeps minnows in loop for 2015 World Cup

The ICC had earlier decided to restrict the 2015 World Cup to top 10 nations only.

Associate nations such as Ireland and Netherlands may not be dumped out of 2015 cricket World Cup with the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) on Monday recommending that there should be a qualifying tournament for participation in the elite event.

The ICC in April had decided to restrict the 2015 World Cup to top 10 nations only,much to the dismay the associate nations who strongly protested the decision.

The decision to put a cap on the teams had come due to criticism of the tournament’s lengthy format.

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The CEC stopped short of putting a seal on the number of teams for the tournament but the decision raised hopes of teams like Netherlands,Ireland,Canada and Kenya to feature in the 2015 edition of the event to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

The CEC recommended that there should be a qualification process for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 but did not make a recommendation to the ICC Executive Board on the number of teams that should compete in the event to be held in Australia and New Zealand, ICC said in a statement.

ICC President Sharad Pawar has taken up the cause of the minnows by asking its Board to reconsider the decision.

In other key decisions,the CEC decided that a captain will now be suspended for two over-rate breaches in a 12-month period in any one format of the game rather than the current position which is three breaches prior to suspension.

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The CEC,like the ICC Cricket Committee,was concerned at the slow over-rates in Test match cricket and agreed on stricter sanctions against captains for over-rate breaches, the statement said.

Even though the success of 50-over cricket played during the World Cup 2011 was universally acknowledged,the CEC rightly supported the enhancements recommended by the ICC Cricket Committee to strengthen the format further,including encouraging Members to trial some specific innovations in their domestic cricket, said ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat.

These innovations include a review of the maximum number of overs that a bowler can bowl,an increase from one to two for the number of short balls permitted per over,no compulsory requirement for close catchers and a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard circle during non-powerplay overs.

Other ICC Cricket Committee recommendations include continued research into the use of different colour balls to facilitate day/night Test matches.

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CEC also approved that batsmen can be given out for obstructing the field if they change their direction when running between the wicket to block a run-out chance.

The two-day ICC Executive Board meeting will begin from Tuesday.