The 2015 World Cup will comprise 14 teams, a change from the original ten-team format, which means the Associates are back in the competition, ESPNcricinfo has learned. Four Associate teams will line up alongside ten Full Members in Australia and New Zealand, just like it was during the 2011 World Cup. The decision to reinstate the Associates, which was taken on the third day of the ICC's annual conference in Hong Kong, is a reversal of the ICC's heavily criticised move to restrict the 2015 tournament to the Full Members.
The ICC, however, has reduced the number of teams in the World Twenty20s in 2012 and 2014 from 16 to 12 (ten Full Members and two Associates).
It had also said previously that the 2019 World Cup would have a qualifying tournament to determine its participants. At the annual conference it was decided that the 2019 tournament would have only ten teams, with the top-eight ranked sides gaining automatic entry while the remaining two spots would be decided by a qualification competition.
The decision to exclude Associates from 2015 was made shortly after the 2011 World Cup final and it sparked a wave of protests, especially since Ireland, who are the leading Associate team, had performed creditably in the competition. They had upset England and competed in most of their other games.
Warren Deutrom, the Cricket Ireland chief executive, was "delighted" with the decision made in Hong Kong.
"The board should be greatly commended in the first instance for agreeing to look again at the matter, and then for being courageous enough to review their original decision - that isn't easy," Deutrom told ESPNcricinfo. "As for Ireland, we now have to get our heads down and try to qualify for it [2015 World Cup]!"
On Monday, the second day of the conference, the ICC's chief executives' committee (CEC) had recommended to the executive board that there be a qualifying tournament for the 2015 World Cup, giving the Associates hope. It did not specify the number of slots open to Associates though, nor did it recommend a change in the competition's format. The executive board acted on the CEC's recommendation and ensured Associate participation by expanding the tournament from 10 to 14 teams.
As earlier reported, some Members believe the stretch to 14 teams is part of a deal to build support for the last major issue for discussion at the conference: scrapping the rotation policy for the appointment of the ICC president.
Pakistan and Bangladesh - the two Members who were to nominate the next candidates for president and vice-president by the rotation system - are opposed to the change. In order to pass a resolution amending the rule about the appointment of the ICC chief, eight of ten Full Members and 38 of 50 Associates will have to vote in favour of the motion. That vote could now be a formality with the Associates being placated by Tuesday's decision.
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