Too Many Teams in Cricket World Cup 2015: Ian Chappell to NDTV
Cricket World Cup 2015 will feature at least four minnow sides that may make some of the games heavily one-sided.
Questions are already being raised about the format of the Cricket World Cup 2015. Former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell feels the inclusion of ICC Associate members could dilute the intensity of competition.(World Cup 2015: Full Coverage)
Speaking to NDTV in Sydney, Chappell said, the odd upset in the league stage may not scupper the hopes of the big teams but 14 teams are one too many in the World Cup this year.(Gavaskar Irked by India's Bowling)
"I like the idea of the World Cup being the best teams...you're going to have the occasional blow out where one team gets beaten quite comfortably but I don't think it does the game a lot of good to have a really one-sided contest," Chappell said.
"Ten teams is probably about the maximum if you're going to play everybody. I think you know it is going to go a bit too long if you have more than 10 teams but 10 would be about right and at least that does offer some encouragement to the other teams to get a place in the World Cup," Chappell said.
The 2019 World Cup in England is likely to be a 10-team affair after ICC CEO Dave Richardson dropped hints on these lines earlier this week.
Former Indian Test batsman VVS Laxman agrees with Chappell, who said Associate member nations like Afghanistan and Scotland should be encouraged to play in the World T20 and not the 50-over format.
Laxman said: " In a high-profile tournament like World Cup there will be a lot of viewers, a lot of spectators at the ground who come from around the world to watch competitive games. You want each and every game to be competitive. Yes, you have to encourage the Associate members and I totally agree with Ian there. I think the 1992 format (with nine teams) was excellent. Probably 10 teams would be ideal and you can play against all of them and qualify for the knockout stage."
Sunil Gavaskar also suggested a World cup with 10 teams. "The top eight teams according to the ICC rankings should automatically qualify. The last two berths should be fought between the other teams a year before the main event," Gavaskar suggested.
While upsets are always on the cards, Gavaskar said "stage fright" could be counterproductive for minnows who are developing their international competency.