As I write this piece, England are struggling to overcome the Netherlands in their opening World Cup game, and by the time you read this the result may well be known. The strong performance from the men in orange has led to many commentators asking whether the ICC’s decision to cut the competition to ten teams for the 2015 tournament is the right one.
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| England struggled past the Netherlands in their opening group game |
In the four games leading up to Tuesday’s match, the favourites have all won emphatically against some of the smaller nations in world cricket. Despite Bangladesh and Zimbabwe both being test playing teams, they struggled to compete when pitted against favourites India and holders Australia in their opening group matches.
So is there a place for the smaller teams at the World Cup? Some commentators argue that they just create extra games which don’t need to be played and take up too much time. Their argument usually contains the fact that the associate teams just aren’t good enough to compete at this level as they don’t have the experience or talent.
But does the performance of the Netherlands change these views?
The Dutch only have three professional players, but one of those, Ryan Ten Doeschate, destroyed England’s bowling attack with a brilliant 119 and is easily the best associate player. However, should a team who only boast three professionals take part in the sport’s showpiece event?
Despite the Netherlands’ performance, the likes of 2003 semi-finalists Kenya and the experienced Zimbabwe have both struggled and their best players are getting towards the ends of their international careers, whilst Canada have very little to offer the championship.
The surprise package of 2007 were the Irish, and although more of their players have become professional, they look unlikely to repeat the success of four years ago. Despite having the likes of ex-England international Ed Joyce and Trent Johnston, who sits in the Top 20 of the ICC Bowling Rankings, at their disposal, they may struggle to win any matches at this year’s tournament.
The only smaller side who could do well this year are co-hosts Bangladesh, who are a young and exciting side who could cause a surprise, especially with the West Indies and an out of form England in their group.
So is the decision for 2015 the correct one? Bangladesh are a young team and will have improved by 2015 so the decision to keep them is a fair one, but should the ageing Zimbabweans be given an automatic pass? The Dutch, Irish and Kenyans will probably have something to say about this, and there should possibly be a qualification process to decide the tenth team for future World Cups.
