The Irish were particularly annoyed with the proposal because for the past four years, they have been ranked higher than Zimbabwe. During that period, Ireland has occupied 10th position while Zimbabwe has been at 11th and 12th in the One Day International rankings. We will not let this matter lie. It is wrong, everyone knows it is wrong. The decision must be overturned, Cricket Ireland said in a statement.
Earlier this month, ICC met in India and decided to exclude all non-full members from the next World Cup. The tournament featured numerous group matches in a format that many feared was vulnerable to corruption. Among these was the match between Zimbabwe and dethroned champions Australia, which was the opener of the tournament. Ireland felt they had justified their participation in the lucrative competition after shocking England and producing the tournaments highest ever successful run-rate.
Meanwhile, the ICC Executive Board will be requested to reconsider the composition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 during the ICC Annual Conference in Hong Kong at the end of June 2011. The Board had agreed in Mumbai that the 10 teams for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England would be determined on the basis of qualification.
However, after receiving representations from the Associate and Affiliate Members of the ICC, the ICC President Sharad Pawar had decided to request the ICC Executive Board to revisit the issue in Asia. In a statement, Pawar said: I have given this matter further serious thought and will request the Board to consider this topic once more. I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible.
Post published in: Cricket