An Open Letter to the ICC

Dear douchebags


That's probably not the best way to get your attention. Allow me to start again.

Dear ICC,

I must express my dismay at your recent decision to restrict the "World Cup" to the ten full members of the ICC. This is not just because I'm an Irishman, but as a fan of sport and egalitarianism in general. I thoroughly enjoyed the recent World Cup amid all the talk of the death of one-day cricket. However, I do feel that the lack of meaningful competition for the next 6 years or so for several countries (not just the Associate nations but Zimbabwe also) will only diminish the 50 over game further.

Not only that but the bridge for associate member and Zimbabwe to climb to get to test status becomes harder as many associations will now be forced to focus on T20 rather than ODI, as their sponsors will not provide (or only provide limited) support for teams with no World Cup TV exposure. With the emphasis squarely on T20, I think you'll find these Associate Nations will actually be weaker in 2019 than they are now. That will in turn lead to further calls to alienate the associate nations from ODIs, which will undoubtedly hamper the development of the game in these countries at all levels. If you look at the meteoric rise of Afghanistan in the past few years it is not an impossibility that they will be rank in the top eight in the World (with Ireland nine, naturally). Please explain how the World Cup deserves the name when these top ranked teams get excluded?

Oh, but games were one sided at the World Cup? So the answer to one-sided games is to cut out the weak side rather than develop them? Would Sri Lanka ever have reached where they are now if that attitude was taken in the 80s? Yeah, some matches will be dead-rubber, but you have those ALL major sporting events. It's part and parcel of what makes a World Cup; the underdog. The underdog story is always the best one in sport. It captures the imagination of everyone; not just their supporters. You claim that this resolution will provide financial security for the game; but I'm not sure how much extra money is added to the pot by having Zimbabwe involved.

Let's also of course mention that the people losing most out of all of this are the players. Many players, the ambassadors of the game in their countries, will be robbed of the chance to represent their country at the highest level. Whatever you say about T20, the snobbery surrounding cricket will mean that these players will never be taken seriously unless they can demonstrate their skills in the longer forms of the games. You are forcing people to choose between representing their country and pursuing their career to the highest level they can go.

The bleeding of players to full members that has hurt Ireland in particular will become much more seriously. I can't see George Dockrell hanging Dublin around playing T20 for eight years before the next World Cup. That is of course if that player would even get picked by a full member. Trent Johnson has already said that your decision effectively made his decision to retire after the T20 World Cup next year. Many others will also now be wondering what the point of all their work is if they cannot get the recognition for it.

This brings me to probably the most worrying aspect of this decision. The ICC clearly has no intention of granting full member status to Ireland at any point before 2015. That's at least six years since Ireland applied. With only a T20 World Cup in the interim, Ireland will find it difficult to get enough ODI matches to get the recognition needed for full membership. It then becomes again a vicious cycle with no clear path for associate nations to progress to full membership.

But you say, full membership is about more than international performance; it's about the local game, ensuring the game has support etc. Fine. Please explain how cutting teams out of the World Cup will help increase public exposure and support? The only times I have heard of Irish cricket on local TV is at the World Cups. Cricket was headline news for probably the first time ever when we beat England a few short years ago. Now, cricket was back in the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. A wave of negativity has swept coverage of the sport. The elitism you showed in your decision entrenches the idea of the elitism of the game, that's it's not a game for everyone, only for the West Brits. The PR benefits of Ireland's performances in the World Cup are being wiped out in a matter of moments. Again, the game suffers.

So for all these reasons, I can only deduce that your decision lacks logic, foresight and the sportsmanship that your organisation is trying to promote in the youth of the game. Shame on you.

Yours,

Daniel Gleeson