It's a fear of repeat of 2007. ICC aren't scared, broadcasters are scared, so ICC is just pleasing the broadcasters for more monies to sell the rights.
The issue is that ICC isn't independent and basically run by individual boards, so obviously you'll have them see their interest first... I mean will ICC pick growing the game over more money? Nope. The money they get is distributed back to boards and the most money goes to Ind, Eng and Aus, so why will they shoot themselves in the foot by getting less money and also having the prospect of crashing out early in the tournament? Fat chance.
In an ideal world an independent ICC would just tell broadcasters deal with it. When you invest in a tournament, you want to make money but then you can't tweak the tournament and make it lose its relevance to maximize revenue. Next what? Broadcasters will want all games to go to last ball so ad revenues are maximized?
Some of the highlights of 50-ov and 20-ov World Cups have been associates beating big countries and that has led to great interest being developed in those regions. Unfortunately this rant is useless as nothing will change. Maybe one day when ECB, BCCI and CA don't care about international WC and are too busy minting money off their leagues, they'll let World Cups actually have the "World" in it.
Spot on and cricket is now pure business. For the sake of it I'm still OK with this T20 format, but at least in 50 over cricket we've got to have 14 teams with 2 groups.
Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, Oman, Nepal, Namibia, most of rhese teams survive on WC participation money and the main attraction for any youngster to take up the game or for any of their players to play, is when they want to represent their country at a world event, without the motivation of a world cup participation, cricket in these countries cannot survive.
Zimbabwe and Ireland get some FTP fixtures but mostly against each other and Afghans + 2-3 top countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka who are generous enough, and mind you it is a great gesture to give something back to the game by playing these nations. It is how they learn and improve.
You don't give them FTP fixtures against any top nation, you don't give them any World Cup where they play against top nations, yet you want them to turn up once in a blue moon and PERFORM. Still they do, they try, but inevitably they can only do so much and then you say, not good enough, we are happy with the 7-8 teams that we have.
This is just rubbish.
Give these teams half the exposure which top 3 or 4 teams get and then see what they can do.
