ICC's decision on 10-team World Cup a joke: Ireland captain

London, April 5: Ireland captain William Porterfield Tuesday lashed out at the International Cricket Council (ICC) for limiting the 2015 World Cup to 10 full-member teams, terming this an "absolute joke". Ireland, an associate member of the ICC, will miss out on a World Cup berth despite being higher than Zimbabwe in the One-day International rankings. Ireland is at the 10th position while full-member Zimbabwe is 11th. The ICC made a formal announcement at a board meeting in Mumbai Monday.

"It's an absolute disgrace and I don't know how they can even comprehend doing this. We have done everything they asked of us over the last few years in terms of restructuring Irish cricket and I can't come to terms with how they can just shut us out, do away with the qualification period and then try and call this a World Cup," The Guardian quoted Porterfield as saying.

"We are currently ranked 10th, ahead of Zimbabwe, and there is no reason we can't move up another position, if not two, by the next World Cup. Instead, the door has been closed in our face. It is an embarrassment.

"I don't know what else we had to do in the World Cup, we held our own against the full members, we beat England, we got the fastest ever hundred. For them to turn around and throw that back in our face a few weeks later is an absolute joke."

Ireland will miss the next edition as the ICC has scrapped the qualifications. However, they will have a shot at the 2019 World Cup which is also restricted to 10 teams but will have two qualification spots up for grabs.

"It is an absolute disgrace and I don't know how they can even comprehend doing this. We have done everything they asked of us over the last few years in terms of restructuring Irish cricket and I can't come to terms with how they can just shut us out, do away with the qualification period and then try and call this a World Cup," complained Porterfield.

Ireland and other Associate nations will get to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup which has been expanded to 16 teams.

Porterfield did not see this as a compensation.

"They say it's a compensation but I can't agree with that because it is every player's dream to play at and win a World Cup," he said. "Everyone in the cricketing world can see they are shutting the door on not only a lot of players, but also on the development of world cricket.

"It's not just about Ireland. This could mean the death of cricket in a lot of countries and all because a few full members are looking to make a few extra quid from the competitions.

"It is every full member's duty to look after world cricket. Now the whole integrity of the World Cup has been brought into question because this is not a World Cup, it's a glorified Champions Trophy," Porterfield maintained.