In a controversial decision, the ICC announced on Monday that only the ten Full Member nations would participate in the next edition of the showpiece event which will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
The move unleashed a wave of criticism from the Associate nations and the cricketing world as a whole, with questions raised as to why the ten teams' passage to the competition is guaranteed and that there is no form of qualifying for the event.
Speaking at an event arranged - rather ironically - to celebrate Ireland's performance at the recently-concluded World Cup, Sports Minister Leo Varadkar said that Cricket Ireland had the government's backing as they ponder what action to take against the ICC.
"I fully support the efforts of Cricket Ireland and the other non-Test countries to persuade the ICC Board to reverse their decision," said Varadkar.
"And I want you to know that my offices are available to assist the Associate nations in their campaign to have this decision reversed, in any way that you see fit.
"Non-Test nations such as Ireland have played a major part in World Cups, not just by their talent and skill, but also by their commitment, passion and love of the game.
"It is difficult to see how the best interests of the game can be served by not allowing countries such as Ireland a chance to compete at the highest level. This 'closed shop' approach cannot be good for the game, and appears to fly in the face of the sacred values that cricket has espoused for so long - namely fair play, sportsmanship and camaraderie," he added.
0 comments:
Post a Comment