Ireland shut out of World Cup 2015

[NareshK]

I'm pretty sure CA is responsible for this. Their reasoning is West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh dont look too strong and more associate nations would result in one sided games against the top teams like the first round of the World Cup. But they made a wrong decision in keeping out Ireland because the conditions in Australia/NZ will suit them more and they have a good chance of winning matches against top teams.

[Prakat]

Signed all petitions. As if Test cricket wasn't incentive enough, ECB is now making sure that all top Irish players go the Morgan way and move to England to play competitive ODI cricket as well!

[Sachin=GOD]

Simmons lashes out at 'despicable' ICC

Ireland's coach Phil Simmons has joined the clamour of condemnation following the decision to limit the 2015 World Cup to just the ten Test-playing nations, describing the move as "despicable", and adding that the announcement on Monday had been "a dark day for cricket but a great day for greed and fear". Ireland's players and administrators have reacted with undisguised disgust to the decision from the sport's governing body, with the team captain William Porterfield and the chief executive Warren Deutrom leading the outcry. The team is currently ranked 10th in the world, above Zimbabwe, and lived up to their growing reputation by beating England in a thrilling run-chase at Bangalore during the recent World Cup. However, they have been given no opportunity to build on a series of performances that captured the public imagination during the recent tournament, despite confirming the progress of a close-knit team following their spectacular victory over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup. "It is a dark day for cricket but a great day for greed and fear!" said Simmons, the former West Indies opening batsman. "It is hard to find words to describe this despicable decision made by some who want to keep things among themselves and some who fear us." "There can be no cricketing reasons for this decision, as we answered the cricket question, the television rating question, and we are 10th ranked nation in the world - so what else is needed? "I`m afraid the next World Cup will be like the American World Series - you are crowned World Champions but the world did not take part - congratulations to India on winning the last real World Cup." "Finally - congratulations to ICC for pulling the game we love back ten years!" A Cricket Ireland statement said it was currently in discussions with fellow associates and affiliates about the avenues of action left open to them following the ruling by ICC. Deutrom earlier described the decision as "an absolute black day for the sport". "It's nothing short of outrageous," he told ESPNcricinfo. "All of the principles by which a decision should have been made in the first instance - which is what's best for the sport and what's acting in the best interests of all 105 members - have clearly been abandoned."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/509647.html Very well said - Kudos to him and the rest of the Irish cricketers for coming out so strongly against the International Crap Council (ICC)

[satyam1729]

England try to gag Irish fury over exclusion http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/england-try-to-gag-irish-fury-over-exclusion-2611231.html

[putrevus]

No It is totally a fault of CA and its want to be something different. CA is afraid its public wont receive these minnows and their one sided matches which are bound to happen.England and Australia are on the same boat if you see historically they have never encouraged minnows at home particularly. Srilanka even though they are very strong team hardly play these two countries at home even if they play they one or two test at the most that too early in their summer. Other small nations hardly play Australia or England at home. Aussies are the worst I don't think Bangladesh has ever played Australia in home series there.India when it was not a strong cricketing nation hardly played more than once in four years and they rarely visited India also. Now story is different they are ready to play India when ever India wants them to play.So Don't blame ICC or BCCI for this mess this is purely on CA and its need to cater to its audience.

[OutStumped]

Such shamelessness on part of the ECB! Pressing gag orders because the Irish cricketers are contracted with counties just goes to show what an insecure board the ECB is. As for development of Irish cricket is concerned, I guess we can all forget it post such unwarranted comments.

[DaFan]

Ireland deserve to be playing in the WC more than Bangladesh.

thx for the support.

[rajmarie]

This decision has nothing to do with any of the boards at all. BCCI doesn't care about the Asian bloc anymore and it hasn't since ACB,SACB and BCCI jointly conducted the Champions league. The only opposition for BCCI is an stubborn ECB who thinks that it is entitled to be the boss because its "their" game. This stubbornness should end soon with the end of Giles clark and when more counties do not turn a profit. SA and WI supports BCCI thus making any other grouping meaningless. CA or ECB themselves have no real threat from Ireland either, be it Ireland knocking them out of WC or getting better test players than England. The only reason is ICC greed. India playing a minimum of 6 games is not enough for ICC. They want India to play 9 games. If they add another 2 teams, then the number of games that India plays will come down because they will be forced to group the teams. A look at recent direction the ICC has gone clearly indicates this. 1. Banning 4 or more country tournaments so that WC and Champions trophy are the only such tournaments. 2. T20, Champions trophy and WC. Almost one ICC tournament each year. 3. Champions trophy, which started as a short tournament to popularize in associate countries, quietly became longer and played in SL,England etc. 4.More ICC tournaments with One day league and Test championship. I wont be surprised if we learn the ICC somehow tried to take over IPL and Champions league too. They want to have a share from all big tournaments.

They can still...2015 WC to have 10 teams..OK...but why only the Test playing nation. Zim & BD havent done anything in the last 4 years to qualify as Test playing team for sure. WI can easily be bracketed there also. Basically...have these 3 bottom so called Test playing nation go against the top 5 associate teams (choosen from a associate qualification itself) in a WC qualifer...& then select the top 3 from that to WC. That will meansn that 3 good ODI teams irrespective of their status will play in WC...making WC more exciting (India still get to play their 9 WC ODI)...& the 5 associate teams will play so called Test teams thus making the same more stronger. Unless ICC knows that if they do so...the 3 so called Test teams will not be good enough to qualify?

[rajmarie]

No It is totally a fault of CA and its want to be something different. CA is afraid its public wont receive these minnows and their one sided matches which are bound to happen.England and Australia are on the same boat if you see historically they have never encouraged minnows at home particularly. Srilanka even though they are very strong team hardly play these two countries at home even if they play they one or two test at the most that too early in their summer. Other small nations hardly play Australia or England at home. Aussies are the worst I don't think Bangladesh has ever played Australia in home series there.India when it was not a strong cricketing nation hardly played more than once in four years and they rarely visited India also. Now story is different they are ready to play India when ever India wants them to play.So Don't blame ICC or BCCI for this mess this is purely on CA and its need to cater to its audience.

U cant say its CA fault. I m 100% sure...that BD, WI, NZ & Zim told to BCCI...look here...we give our votes to u....but we need guarantee that we will play in the WC..because we want to earn the millions of guarantee $$$. BCCI order ICC...throw associates out. ICC made the rule.

[Zap_Brannigan]

They can still...2015 WC to have 10 teams..OK...but why only the Test playing nation. Zim & BD havent done anything in the last 4 years to qualify as Test playing team for sure. WI can easily be bracketed there also. Basically...have these 3 bottom so called Test playing nation go against the top 5 associate teams (choosen from a associate qualification itself) in a WC qualifer...& then select the top 3 from that to WC. That will meansn that 3 good ODI teams irrespective of their status will play in WC...making WC more exciting (India still get to play their 9 WC ODI)...& the 5 associate teams will play so called Test teams thus making the same more stronger. Unless ICC knows that if they do so...the 3 so called Test teams will not be good enough to qualify?

Or the bottom 3 aka BD,WI and NZ have big godfathers.

[rajmarie]

Or the bottom 3 aka BD' date='WI and NZ have big godfathers.[/quote'] YES...their Godfather is BCCI. Those countries vote on whatever BCCI ask them to..inturn WC spot guaranteed

[Zap_Brannigan]

U cant say its CA fault. I m 100% sure...that BD' date=' WI, NZ & Zim told to BCCI...look here...we give our votes to u....but we need guarantee that we will play in the WC..because we want to earn the millions of guarantee $$$. BCCI order ICC...throw associates out. ICC made the rule.[/quote'] Going by the ECB ruling to silence Ireland supporters playing in counties, there is more to it than BCCI ordering ICC. The 1 board that will not lose by having a shorter tournament is the BCCI. The BCCI effectively losses money and its marketing power everytime an Indian player plays in an ICC tournament. It makes less money from WC and other ICC tournament than what it usually gets from a full bilateral series. So it makes absolutely no sense for BCCI to support this.

[Ramzz]

Think the BCCI wouldn't prefer Ireland to become a full member since they might vote with the CA,CSA, ECB. It's all about politics.

[Zap_Brannigan]

YES...their Godfather is BCCI. Those countries vote on whatever BCCI ask them to..inturn WC spot guaranteed

No. Again i explained the vote politics in another thread. 1st the voting groups of yesteryear is made completely redundant because SA and WI joined us and that made the votes 7-3 in BCCI's favour. Even if 1 more vote is added in the form of Ireland in the other side, it will still be 7-4. Secondly, with the joining to CA, SACB and BCCI to form Champions league headed by BCCI, CA and NZ by default also joined BCCI. If at all there is something that ECB or Aus wants that others doesnt, like the promet Aus prime minister heading ICC position, they will never get it. Its pretty simple.India is responsible for 80% of the games revenue and with Champions league and the recent big bash, it even has its claws inside CA. ECB is the only one resisting and that it due to Giles clark than anything else. Once he is gone, the conversion will be complete.

[Zap_Brannigan]

Think the BCCI wouldn't prefer Ireland to become a full member since they might vote with the CA,CSA, ECB. It's all about politics.

When was the last time CSA did anything against BCCI? They have been our right hand for a decade.

[putrevus]

U cant say its CA fault. I m 100% sure...that BD' date=' WI, NZ & Zim told to BCCI...look here...we give our votes to u....but we need guarantee that we will play in the WC..because we want to earn the millions of guarantee $$$. BCCI order ICC...throw associates out. ICC made the rule.[/quote'] Do you know how ridiculous you argument is, if BCCI did not want minnows to play in 2015 but it took risk of playing them at home in this one where they had every chance of back firing on their face with poor response from its public. NZ are hosts so they will play, WI,BD and Zim are full member countries so they have play all the world cup BCCI or ICC cannot do anything.

[Sachin=GOD]

'Main reason is to protect Bangladesh and Zimbabwe'

Scotland and Bermuda have joined the condemnation of the ICC's decision to exclude Associates from the 2015 World Cup. Scotland, who were part of the tournament in 1999 and 2007 and will approach the ICC to reconsider the move. "This has some legs to run yet," Cricket Scotland chief Roddy Smith told BBC Radio Scotland. "I'm sure the 95 countries ranked below the top 10 will be getting together to talk about what can be done. Can we influence the 10 Full Members to reconsider? It's a long shot but we have to try." The absence of a qualifying event for 2015 was what upset Scotland the most. "We're not arguing that it shouldn't be a 10-team World Cup," Smith said. "Our biggest concern is that there has to be some sort of qualification event." Though the Associates have been left out of the 2015 edition, they will participate in the ICC World Twenty20 - where the ICC has made room for 16 teams - and stand a fair chance of playing the 2019 World Cup that, despite being a ten-team tournament, will have a qualifying round. The most important reason for the ICC's decision, Smith said, was to protect a couple of Full Members who, he felt, weren't too far better than the Associates. "Behind the scenes there are reasons to do with the commercial value and TV rights of the competition. But the main reason is to protect Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who aren't too much better than the likes of Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan or Kenya etc. "No one would argue that the top countries like Australia and India are far better than the Associate nations. But the bottom Full Members, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and even West Indies are not a million miles ahead of the leading second tier countries." The expansion of the World Twenty20 to 16 teams was no consolation, Smith added. "That's great but it's only one of the three formats of the game and for most Associate nations it's not the main one. We want to be tested at 50-over cricket." In the immediate aftermath of its decision, the ICC was slammed by Cricket Ireland and its players on various forums. Ireland had been the stand-out Associate team in the 2011 World Cup and its achievements included a stunning win over England, thanks to a 50-ball century from Kevin O'Brien. Criticism was as strong in Bermuda, another Associate nation that played in the 2007 World Cup. "How can they call this a World Cup when it is only being played between 10 teams, what world are they living in?," Clay Smith, a former batsman, was quoted as saying in the Royal Gazette. "I think this decision is a joke and very contradictory to what they the ICC has been trying to do in the past. "The ICC has invested so much money into the Associate members to try to improve their standards, but it seems like some of the big boys of cricket fear being embarrassed by the minnows." The early exits of India and Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, after they were beaten by Bangladesh and Ireland respectively, prompted the ICC to devise formats to protect the bigger teams, Clay Smith said. "What they should do is have a mini World Cup with the Associate teams and at least have the two finalists be given a path to the World Cup."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/current/story/509782.html If they continue to apply pressure then I think the ICC will have to reconsider its decision sooner or later.

[Karan114]

The absence of a qualifying event for 2015 was what upset Scotland the most. "We're not arguing that it shouldn't be a 10-team World Cup," Smith said. "Our biggest concern is that there has to be some sort of qualification event."

I don't think even the sceptics can disagree with this. There is zero justification for not giving the associates even a chance of getting into a ten team World Cup. Ireland are a better team than Zimbabwe according to the ICC's own rankings system ffs!

[Zelig]

A black day for my Irish brahs. But we will rise like neva before

[rajmarie]

I don't think even the sceptics can disagree with this. There is zero justification for not giving the associates even a chance of getting into a ten team World Cup. Ireland are a better team than Zimbabwe according to the ICC's own rankings system ffs!

IMO...not only Ireland....quite a few Associate teams are better then Zim...& can improve a lot if they are given yearly oppourtunity to play against the bigger teams.