Carlos Brathwaite exclusive: ICC must expand World Cup nations, not limit them
West Indies star Carlos Brathwaite has hit out at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to limit participation in the Cricket World Cup.
Previously 14, the world governing body for cricket opted to limit participation from the 2019 World Cup onwards to just 10 countries.
Brathwaite’s men had to compete in a World Cup qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe which culminated in a tense five-run win against Scotland in March.
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And the 29-year-old, fresh from an Indian Premier League (IPL) final defeat to Chennai Super Kings, believes the ICC’s decision to restrict associate nations will prove detrimental to the sport.
“I was very, very impressed (with the quality)” the Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder told Yahoo Sport’s Adam Collins. “I think it is a myth that we would have gone there (to Zimbabwe) and just rolled over everyone.
“If you look at cricket, and let’s be fair, the young guy from Nepal (Sandeep Lamichhane)…who went and did wonders in the IPL, you have Mohammad Nabi (of Afghanistan) who has been doing well in the IPL, Big Bash League and CPL (Caribbean Premier League), and you have Rashid Khan (also Afghanistan) who is probably the best spinner in the world.
“There’s a lot of talent in the associate nations, but they have not been given the widespread coverage that they probably deserve, which obviously makes people assume that there’s no quality. I can definitely say there is heaps of quality in that tournament and I am sure there is heaps of quality in the associates as well.
“I am very sad to see it (World Cup), I guess, contracted to ten teams. If we had taken it to the world as a sport – we’re not even in the Olympics yet – if we had already taken it to the world, i think we should be keeping it at the same number or even trying to expand.
“Although it is not my decision to make, it is my opinion on the matter. Hopefully the day will come where we get more teams and more countries involved and really spread the game of cricket.
“We can really market the sport of cricket to a lot more demographics and a lot more regions.”
West Indies had to qualify the hard way, defeating minnows Scotland in a qualifying eliminator on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system in March.
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The match proved controversial as rain halted Scotland’s chase – and a dubious decision to give top scorer Richie Berrington out LBW could not be referred as the decision review system (DRS) was not in use in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, despite replays revealing it could have been overturned.
That combination of factors meant Brathwaite’s men may consider themselves lucky to have qualified, but the T20 World Cup winner was just pleased to get over the finish line.
“Obviously it was nerve-wracking,” he added. “We hadn’t really played 50-over cricket, had one rest day, then to play again… we had four or five back-to-back games.
“That was a bit tough on the body. We’ve been a bit spoilt to be fair. Netherlands – the football team – are a giant and they missed the Euros, Italy are about to miss the World Cup.
“Don’t think anyone is beyond the game, to say we cannot miss the World Cup, but obviously it would have been a tragedy for the history that the West Indies has.
“So thankfully I was part of the team that secured qualification and if selected, I would like to give my best for the West Indies and hopefully we can go all the way in 2019.”