Daniel Brettig reports for CricInfo:-
\nWally Edwards and Giles Clarke turned on the charm at the MCG on Tuesday as they attempted to reassure Associate and Affiliate nations that the “Big Three” will lead cricket with more benevolence than belligerence.
\nEdwards and Clarke spoke on behalf of the boards of Australia and England at an informal meeting ahead of the official Associates & Affiliates gathering in the Jim Stynes Room. Alongside India’s BCCI, they have hatched plans for the game’s strongest nations to lead the rest……
\nAccording to an insider, the ICC is showing a “lack of care for Associate cricket,” underlined by their narrower focus on the tier below Test members. The High Performance Program will, for the next few months, concentrate on the four teams participating in next year’s World Cup – Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan and the UAE – leaving the rest wondering how they will keep cash flow going and whether their teams will get sufficient game time.<\/p>\n