Tim Wigmore writes for the Guardian (UK):-
Yet the fear remains that unless the attitude of cricket’s ruling elite changes, associate cricket will primarily exist in the shadows. In the opinion of one associate representative, the apparent resistance of BCCI and the ECB to expansionism is “because they don’t want someone to challenge their power”. Giles Clarke, the president of the ECB, is adamant that the World Cup in England will comprise only 10 teams, and staunchly opposes the notion that a pre-qualifying tournament for the final two spots in the main event should be held in England just before the tournament.

In the clubhouse at Clontarf, one of the host grounds for the World T20 qualifiers, proudly sits a photo of the World Cup match played there in 1999. For some the picture has taken on a rather elegiac quality, a reminder of a time when cricket was committed to growing beyond its traditional confines: the World Cup was expanded to 16 teams and games taken to the Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland and Kenya. Now cricket is unique among world sports in wilfully contracting its flagship event.
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