Tim Wigmore- co-author of “Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts” writes for CricInfo:-
With every passing world event the trends point to Associates becoming more competitive still. The ICC only developed an interest in expansionism in the mid-1990s. Only now is the first generation of cricketers to develop since then benefiting from much-improved domestic structures. Most importantly, there are a lot more of them. Since 2005, official participation numbers in cricket have risen six-fold in the UAE, quadrupled in Ireland and Scotland, and risen by 30 times in Afghanistan.
So while David Richardson described “relief” at the performance of the Associates in the World Cup, those in the ICC who follow them more closely do not share his feelings.
Full story