World Cup should have 10 best teams

Australia news

'World Cup should have 10 best teams' - CA

Co-hosts Australia want the 2015 World Cup to be contested by the 10 teams that most deserve to be there, and will state that position when the ICC reconsiders the tournament format at its annual conference in Hong Kong.

The initial decision to simply allow cricket's 10 Full Member nations, including the struggling Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, to take their places at the next World Cup without any kind of qualification process was met with global indignation. However the ICC president Sharad Pawar has flagged a reconsideration of the wishes of the Associate nations, including 2011 tournament bright sparks Ireland, meaning several possibilities are now on the table for the June meeting.

Kevin-O-Brien

"Our starting point on ICC Events has always been that qualification should be based on merit," a Cricket Australia spokesman told ESPNcricinfo.

"We support moving to a 10-team ICC World Cup in 2015 and longer term, support moving to ICC World Cups which are 10-team contests based on merit, [like] the top 10-ranked nations in the world. The ICC has discussed reviewing the position on 2015 and we will be an interested participant [both as an ICC member and also as a co-host] in that discussion."

Options include an expansion of the number of competing teams from 10 to the 2011 model of 14 or the more likely choice of 12, or simply the addition of a qualifying tournament between the best two Associate nations and the stragglers among the Full Members. Such a solution is clearly Cricket Australia's preference, for administrators have begun plotting the 2015 event with New Zealand based on a 10-team plan.

New Zealand coach John Wright joined the already loud chorus asking for a qualification process for the 2015 World Cup. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Wright said, "The World Cup has got to be about the world - they (the ICC) have to be sure they have got the ten best teams in it. No matter where they come from. Otherwise it's a nonsense. Surely it doesn't take eight years to sort that one out."

Wright cited Ireland's example saying the team had been, a "revelation" in the World Cup, where New Zealand played the supposed minnows in a warm-up match. He said, "Ireland have shown they can knock over big sides. There needs to be some incentive for the (Associate) teams to get the opportunity to play in the World Cup."

During the World Cup, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat had said that the ICC Board would meet in May to decide on the qualification format of the 10-team 2015 World Cup. Two days after the final of the 2011 World Cup though, the ICC Board announced that the 2015 tournament would include the ten full members with qualification coming into play only in 2019. Following criticism around the cricket world and a request by the Associates, the ICC has announced that it would "revisit" the decision to shut the Associates out of the 2015 event.

Numerous Associate nations have also reacted angrily to the suggestion that a reduced field for the 50-over World Cup is effectively counter-balanced by the expansion of the World Twenty20 event to 16 teams. However CA remain certain that Twenty20 can be used to grow the game in developing countries, despite its lack of the subtleties available in Test and limited-overs cricket.

"James [Sutherland, CA chief executive] has always argued that ICC Events should be assessed in the full context of the ICC World Cup and ICC Twenty20 World Championship," the spokesman said.

"In keeping the ICC World Cup tight [which is what fans want], it is on the basis that the ICC Twenty20 can be run as a tight event with, say, the top 16. Twenty20 offers the top 16 an ideal chance to develop, progress, develop international success and profile."

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Why England lost to Ireland

The harsh truths, conveniently assembled in a list

Alex Bowden

March 3, 2011

Kevin-O-Brien

England are still suffering an "Ashes hangover"
While it might seem like it's been long enough now that the victory down under shouldn't affect the team, in reality the Ashes hangover doesn't officially expire until January 2012.

Misplaced positives
England took the positives from the tie with India, but can't for the life of them remember where they put them. Matt Prior thinks Andrew Strauss left them in a taxi but doesn't dare say so. Tim Bresnan is convinced he saw them in the hotel bar a day or so ago, but can't be certain about this because the light wasn't good.

They confused the bowling plans for Niall and Kevin O'Brien
When Niall O'Brien arrived at the crease, the stump microphone picked up the sound of someone saying: "I thought he was right-handed?" England had prepared as if Niall were Kevin and Kevin were Niall. Protestations from Kevin's Nottinghamshire team-mate Graeme Swann were dismissed as "mischievous banter".

England wanted someone - anyone at all - to take Matthew Hayden's record for fastest World Cup hundred
Everyone in England hates Matthew Hayden.

A false sense of superiority deriving from Irish haircuts
The England team took one look at the Irish and thought to themselves: "Even Mike Yardy would walk into their team if you picked on the basis of haircuts." This led to a perception that they were the superior team. However, World Cup cricket teams are not actually chosen on the basis of haircuts, primarily because it has no effect on performance.

A lack of togetherness due to poor financial management
England's team unity has fallen apart because Ian Bell, squad treasurer, has failed to stockpile 10 rupee notes. This means that players are forever trying and failing to break 100s and 500s. The resentment towards Bell has manifested itself in some bloody awful fielding for some reason.

Make-do catching practice
After losing all four of the cricket balls they had brought with them while practising their six-hitting, England were instead forced to rely on hacky sacks for fielding practice. Did this affect preparation? When asked whether a hacky sack was in any way similar to a cricket ball, ex-England pace bowler and purveyor of world-class grumpiness, Bob Willis, answered: "No".

Kevin O'Brien had the game set on "easy"
If you can launch every other ball into the stands, it's time to move up to "normal" or even "hard".

Andy Flower has banned winning because it encourages complacency
Nothing makes a team lazy like winning all the time. Flower has barred his team from recording any more outright victories and instead instructed them to aim to tie every match.

Eoin Morgan
The ball was disappearing into the stands and an Irishman was closing in on a match-winning hundred. England assumed they were winning.

It is a World Cup
This is what England do at World Cups. At least nobody vomited on the outfield this time.

Mischievous Ireland steal shock win

Kevin-O-Brien

BANGALORE: 

Kevin O’Brien struck the fastest World Cup hundred as Ireland pulled off a sensational three-wicket win over England in the Group B match.

Ireland won with five balls to spare as they finished on 329 for seven after England, who had made 327 for eight, had been cruising when they reduced non-Test playing Ireland to 111 for five.

But a brilliant burst of power-hitting got O’Brien to three figures off just 50 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. His innings broke former Australia opener Matthew Hayden’s previous fastest World Cup century record off 66 balls against South Africa at St Kitts in 2007.

O’Brien’s whirlwind innings of 113 off 63 balls, including six sixes and 13 fours, ended when he was run out by Stuart Broad’s throw to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Ireland’s target was down to three off the last over and victory was secured when John Mooney struck a four off James Anderson.

O’Brien ecstatic after upset

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in,” said 26-year-old O’Brien, after another famous win to follow Ireland’s shock World Cup triumph over Pakistan in 2007.

“When we were five down I said to myself we could have just pottered around and got 220 off 50 overs for eight or nine and the game would have been pretty boring to watch.

“But I just chanced my arm i the given situation and said I was going to be as positive and didn’t look back.”

It was the highest successful run chase in World Cup history beating Sri Lanka’s 313 against Zimbabwe at New Plymouth in New Zealand in 1992

O’Brien shared a match-winning 162-run partnership with Alex Cusack, who made 47, for the sixth wicket.

Strauss dumbfounded

England captain Andrew Strauss said, “We thought we’d done a reasonable job with the bat and we got Ireland at five down.

“But we weren’t reckoning on an outstanding innings from Kevin O’Brien. It was pretty brutal.”

Innings to watch

O’Brien went to fifty in 30 balls when he pulled Anderson for six.

He then lofted fast-bowler Anderson for another maximum over midwicket, with television replays estimating the ball had carried for 102 metres, the longest of this year’s World Cup.

O’Brien did have a break on 91 when a huge skyer off Paul Collingwood was dropped by Strauss who looked on in horror as the Irish celebrated another Cup shock.