ICCs World Cup shakeup offers Ireland hope but could crush West Indies
The International Cricket Council is understood to be considering widening the pathway to the controversial 10-team World Cup in 2019 in a move that will provide greater hope of qualification to teams such as Ireland and Afghanistan.
As it stands, the next edition of the 50-over showpiece will see the top eight of the 12-team ICC rankings – on 30 September 2017 – go through by right, with the final two spots decided by a qualifying tournament the following year. But following criticism of that structure as part of the World Cup’s overall reduction from 14 teams down to 10, the ICC is mulling over whether to cut the number of sides that book their places via the rankings to six, leaving four berths up for grabs.
By plunging the bottom six teams into the ICC World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh in 2018, the tweak would also add increased context to one-day internationals played over the next two years with the top sides more fearful of dropping into the bottom half of the table.
England are currently sixth in the rankings – they would be assured of their place as tournament hosts – and were the cut-off point to occur today, full members Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, along with leading associate sides Ireland and Afghanistan, would vie with four additional teams for the final four places.