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Zimbabwe, by stark contrast, had appeared to have been granted a golden ticket to the antipodes in four years’ time. To dismiss the notion that there are political agendas at play would be naïve. After all, Zimbabwe’s performance was hapless and uninspired. Despite convincingly beating the two weakest sides in the tournament, they were positively ordinary against the big guns and lacked any of the giant-killing instincts of the Irish.
But like it or not sport is, by its very nature, inherently political and the ICC as a governing body is invariably a political machine. And if a political component panders to everyone’s demands without ever causing controversy then it is, quite frankly, a toothless organisation that cannot be doing its job. Because it is the role of such bodies to take charge and make the decisions that will inevitably be deeply unpopular with some of the factions that it oversees.
For a start, the plethora of disparaging grumblings about Zimbabwe’s good fortune is unnecessarily cruel. It is not Zimbabwe that decided that Ireland should be excluded. It was the ICC. And while it is understandable that their initial decision – which may stand yet – would leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many, it was not entirely unjustified. You see, Mr Pawar and his colleagues have rightly adjudged that the recent Cricket World Cup was simply too drawn out and there were too many mismatches. On those points, there is general agreement. And although this can be remedied in ways other than simply excluding the Associate nations, such as the alternative reforms that may now be re-considered, the ICC’s primary decision was not all bad.
At a more practical level, though, Zimbabwe has a much bigger following within the cricketing fraternity, has a greater depth of interest and breadth of players. It has also recently established a new, improved first-class structure. And although still a little rudimentary, these structures are beginning to show enviable signs of promise having lured previously-ostracised players into coaching and administrative roles.