Has big 8 quality gone down or is this the best group of associates ever assembled?

[maniac]

compared to the last few world-cups where you had likes of Kenya which were kind of semi competitive,most teams were filling up numbers. 2007 on wards Ireland filled that slot as a team that could be dangerous on their day but that was about it. This tournament every minnow looks good to spring a surprise on their day. Ireland,Scotland and even Afghanistan seem to have the tools to catch team unawares. Perennial minnows but non-associates like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have kind of stepped up where they can cause an be dangerous and have some world class players in their ranks but then at the same time,WI,Pak,Eng and SL have been on the decline in the ODIbut still very much capable of beating top teams convincingly on their day. Nzl has been on the rise but still no where overwhelmingly dominant. Aus,Ind,SA are strong in the ODI format but should come as no surpise if they lose to any of the minnows if they have an off day. Despite having mostly one sided games...this looks like the most open worldcup where Minnows will dictate team fortunes...I must say pretty cool in a way :two_thumbs_up:

[bulbul]

This is just quality going down on overall... Other than India and to some extent Oz & NZ , all other teams are average or below average.

[gattaca]

they might have taken to their heart after the statement made by ICC about associates and boring maches. but it seems most of associates nations now have decent bowling attacks and ireland seems to have all bases covered may feilding still needs improvement.but they seemed to have upped their all round game.

[rkt.india]

Associates have gotten better.

[Cricket_Hacker]

good for the game.Would like to see more strong teams

[gakgupta]

ireland should be given Test status.....they are on par with Bangladesh or even better.....Yeah!! I know, they dont have domestic structure and probably not getting that status they deserved

[bulbul]

Associates have gotten better.

But how to explain the matches between 2 teams from big 8. All are one sided so far.

[Asim]

upar walay going down, neechay walay coming up...

[Chalks]

Yeah, what ^ he said (bit of both).

[Zero_Unit]

Big 8's quality has gone down by miles. Associates are showing a better fight than some of the big 8 are.

[panesarv]

Associates have gotten stronger. Big 8 not taking them seriously.

[Zestian]

upar walay going down' date=' neechay walay coming up...[/quote'] :dito:

[Cricketics]

Batsman around the associate teams have gotten better and started to fear less against top bowling attacks. Just look at how Zimbabwe bats batted confidently when they were on chase for 340ish against South Africa. There was no fear early and they were looking really comfortably against SA quicks.

[Sachin=GOD]

Its a bit of both. Associates have definitely improved quite a bit while teams like West Indies, England, Pak etc really need to sort out their problems in limited overs game because the associates are catching up. If the ICC gives more chances to the likes of Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe etc then ODI cricket would become more competitive - let's see if they do it.

[Marut]

Associate bowling is much stronger than it used to be. And mind you, some of the associates have been playing for decades now and they are not in there just to make up some numbers. Moreover, Associates have nothing at stake, they can play fearlessly and even if they lose, they won't face criticism. Playing against an associate is always lose-lose for a top eight side. If you thrash them, you get to be called a minnow basher. If you beat them, it will be just another win against a minnow. If you lose, the media will have a field day. A game against an associate nation is pressure filled for a top 8 team, but the reverse is not true. Associates don't have any pressure playing these games.

[Asim]

UAE coach criticises World Cup plans http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/content/story/837477.html "I think the gap is narrowing now and every Associate is pushing the Full Members," Javed told UAE newspaper the National. "I am really surprised by the decision the ICC already made that the next World Cup would be 10 teams. "Which 10 teams? If you look at the performances from some teams, their graph has been going down, like West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. I am not just talking about in this World Cup. Overall, what have they achieved in the past 10 years? Why can't there be pressure on them to improve, or go down?" He echoed comments made before the tournament by Ireland's Ed Joyce, who questioned why cricket was trying to shrink participation in its marquee event, while other sports are looking to expand theirs. "It is very unusual if you compare it to other sports," Javed said. "Sports need competition and opportunities for every one. What is there for us in Associate cricket? Ireland have been doing so well for the past 10 years, but haven't gained anything. When it comes to open series, nobody wants to play them. Nobody wants to play Associate teams."

[adi B]

Associate teams are batting more freely without being bogged down and also the fielding has been good barring Afghanistan and uae

[CoverDrive]

Associates have improved a lot and it helps that some of the big powerhouses like WI and Pak from before have come down in rankings Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, UAE, Netherlands play very competitive games during the qualifiers and having these 3-4 quality teams fighting each others improves them. we have come a long way from days of Sultan Zarwani and Dwayne Leverock

[govinda]

ireland is only good associate side rest are crap

[HippoSucks]

It is a bit of both. Some of the Associate countries certainly have become much better (e.g. Zimbabwe, Scotland and Ireland) but some others not so much. Test playing teams like England and Sri Lanka have really gone down in quality in the past few months/years, but Some are much stronger now too (e.g. Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand).