What’s the point in playing teams like West Indies & Zimbabwe in World Cup Qualifier 2018?

The qualifying tournament for the 2019 ICC World Cup to be played in England started in Zimbabwe on March 4 and it is nothing more than a farce. The competition includes teams like the West Indies and Zimbabwe who are quite experienced outfits in international cricket but are forced to play the qualifiers because of their poor show while competing with the top teams.

The qualifier features 10 teams, including the bottom four in the ICC ODI Championship (West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland), the top four of the 2015-17 ICC World Cricket League (Netherlands, Scotland, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea) and the finalists of the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two (Nepal and United Arab Emirates).

That these teams are an absolute mismatch in terms of strength became evident as the tournament progressed. Three Test-playing nations, namely, the Windies, Ireland (they are yet to make their debut though) and Zimbabwe sat happy in the top slots of their respective groups while Scotland, who has appeared in the World Cup in the past, qualified for the Super Six stage by winning three games on the trot. Afghanistan, an exciting side in world cricket at the moment who also played the 2015 World Cup and also won a match there and will make their Test debut in June against India, missed out narrowly by losing some close games.

But all in all, this qualifier has hardly been a qualifier because the experienced teams were always favourites to qualify for the World Cup.

Reducing the number of teams in WC won’t help cricket’s expansion

The ICC decided to reduce the number of participants in the 2019 World Cup to 10 unlike in the editions that were played since 1996 till 2015. This would mean that there would be little opportunity for the associate members to play in this edition and even not all the Test-playing nations will be represented in the tournament (the number has gone up to 12 after the admissions of Ireland and Afghanistan).

The gap between the tiers is far too wide

If the ICC is indeed looking for expansion of the game, then why make such a restrictive playing format at the highest platform? If it has kept two slots open for the qualifiers, what’s the purpose of playing teams like the West Indies and Zimbabwe in that tournament? The Caribbeans and Zimbabweans might be weak when competing with the top teams but they are certainly stronger temperamentally against the minnows.

The lowest-ranked teams in the premier tier are far stronger than the highest ranked ones in the next lot and this wide gap between the tiers in world cricket makes qualifiers look bogus. And it gets even worse by making the Division Two teams rub shoulders with the higher tiers.

If the ICC indeed wanted to include slots for qualifiers, it should have done so by excluding sides like the West Indies and Zimbabwe. If required, they could have played a separate qualifier between the bottom four sides of the top tier and allow two of their best to play in the World Cup.

Similarly, for the associates, a separate qualifier could have been organised to pick another couple of sides. That way, the number of participants would increase but it’s the only viable option if the world governing body is looking to expand the base of cricket.

In 2015, the number of teams playing the World Cup was 14, divided into two groups. In 2019, it would be reduced to 10 which is a drastic step and certainly not a decision that would amuse the associate members aspiring to prove their mettle before the world.

In the football World Cup too, the number of teams has increased by leaps and bounds over the years. The international football federation or FIFA has now decided to hold a 48-team World Cup in 2026. For many, this is an overstretched move but for FIFA, this is about generating more revenue and getting richer.

It is impossible for Fifa today to reduce the number of teams in the World Cup by citing the quality factor. Moreover, admitting more teams means a greater number of weak teams will play the top sides in their bid to qualify and would not always pass the test. But by increasing the slots and groups, the Fifa certainly has made things more accommodative for the lesser countries and encourage them to try their luck.

In cricket, the ICC seems to be lacking a depth in its approach in handling the democratisation of cricket. The idea of organising a qualifier featuring teams that are mismatching and that too to pick just two sides to play with the top teams is a gross injustice to baby sides.

The West Indies and Zimbabwe will anyways struggle against top teams like India, Australia, South Africa or England. So the idea of granting them qualification to play in the tournament after making them beat the associates is no wise step at all. They could have anyways played the weaker teams in the actual World Cup as we have seen since 1996 when the tradition of the minnows joining the top tournament started.

It’s all too clumsy out there for the ICC at the moment. It must come up with some smarter ways to decide participants for big tournaments like the World Cup.

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