Forget the `Big Three’ power putsch, cricket’s developing world is more worried about a trimmed-down World Cup in 2019 that will feature 10 teams.
A series of International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings in Melbourne started on Tuesday, when its Associate and Affiliate (A&A) members gathered.
Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards addressed the group about imminent changes to the ICC’s constitution, finalised in Singapore earlier this year.
It was the first time the game’s so-called minnows had come together since a power shake-up effectively allowed India, Australia and England to dictate the future of the sport.
“I’d imagine coming into this meeting there would be a bit of uncertainty,” ICC head of global development Tim Anderson said of the sentiment among those members outside the 10 Test-playing nations.
“But there will be a bit more comfort now (following Edwards’ speech) as to the history of why this is happening.
“…The hope is there’s now going to be more money in the associate world.”
However, Anderson acknowledged there was active concern among A&A members about four teams being cut from the one-day World Cup.
The 2015 edition co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand will feature 14 nations, with the United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Ireland and Afghanistan all given the chance to play the best in the world.
Associates will only have access to two positions at the 2019 event, which will be decided through a qualifying process involving Test-playing nations.
“If they play well here in the World Cup next year, no doubt they’ll be putting forward a case to say `can’t it be more than 10?’,” Anderson said.
“If I were them, I’d probably be doing the same thing.
“If they play well, you never know what might happen in the future.”
The ICC originally stripped next year’s World Cup back to 10 teams, only to revert to a 14-nation model.
UAE, Scotland, Ireland and Afghanistan will all play fixtures in Australia during September and October to get a better idea of local conditions.
Anderson argued the four nations will be among the best-prepared associates to take part in a World Cup.
He added that a 16-team Twenty20 World Cup and the opening up of Test cricket meant “as a package associates have got more opportunity now than they’ve ever had”.
“I think they feel good about the fact meritocracy is starting to come through the system,” Anderson said.
Cricket’s stagnant push for an Olympic berth was not discussed on Tuesday.