England, Australia outvoted on Ireland return

Mumbai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has thrown a World Cup lifeline to Ireland. It has goneback on its previous decision and approved a 14-team format for the 2015 World Cup. The decision has provided a chance for ICC’s associate members like Ireland and the Netherlands to take part in the quadrennial event.The ICC had previously decided that the next World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, would be a 10-team affair with only the full member nations taking part. Following intense international pressure and protests from the associate members, the ICC has done a U-turn and allowed four associate nations to qualify for the event.The decision came at the ICC Executive Board which met in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Sources in Hong Kong said there was opposition from co-hosts Australia and New Zealand who have been insisting on a compact and competitive World Cup. But they were reduced to a minority in the forum. The co-hosts had the support of England but their motion was defeated in the voting by a 7-3 margin with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe supporting the expansion.“We welcome the decision,” Warren Deutrom, the CEO of the Cricket Ireland, told DNA from Hong Kong. “More than being happy, it is a relief. We now have to ensure that we qualify for the tournament.” The Irish official thanked the ICC board for reconsideration and also thanked Sharad Pawar in particular.“The ICC president has proved that he heads a 105-member association and not just 10 full members of the ICC,” Deutrom said. Pawar was the first to initiate the move asking the Board to reconsider the decision to leave out the associate members.“The Executive Board opted to retain the 14-team format that was used at the highly successful and universally acclaimed World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka with the 10 full members being joined by four Associate or affiliate qualifiers,” the ICC said in a statement.The Board confirmed that the 2019 World Cup would be a 10-team event with the top eight in the rankings earning their qualification automatically with the remaining two places being decided by a qualification competition. The World Twenty20 in 2012 and 2014 will remain as 12-team events (10 full members and two associate/affiliates), which has been the format for the World Twenty20 events since its inception in 2007. The two events were to see 16 teams. (Agency)