David Leggat: Last chance to catch Cup minnows

Photo / Getty Images

If you have a bucket list for the World Cup, one item which should be ticked off in the next few weeks is watching one of the four associate nations. It might be a while before you see them in the cup again.

This will be the last World Cup until at least 2023 when there will be a significant associate member presence.

The International Cricket Council has opted to squeeze the next tournament, in 2019 in England, down to 10 teams.

The eight top-ranked nations as of September 30, 2017 are automatic entries. The last two spots will go to the best of the 10-team qualifying event in Bangladesh in 2018.

So what chance Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates? Two should make it, but the door will shut on the others.

Enabling a solid associate presence gives them exposure on the biggest stage, albeit only for the duration of the tournament. If you want the message to spread that's what is needed.

The countering view is the quality is dissipated, and blowouts ensue. To extend that point, the thought goes: how do those lopsided scorelines really help the likes of the Scots or UAE?

Since the 2011 cup, Ireland have played only 11 ODIs against test-playing countries; Afghanistan have played just 10 altogether.

Yet Ireland are ranked 12th in ODIs, Afghanistan 11th. The Afghanis sit 53 points behind the eighth-placed West Indies.

However, the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson believes the big nations will become more inclined to schedule games against those teams in the next few years.

You could call that a tradeoff, that's to say they will get more opportunities, with the idea being it will improve prospects at the Bangladesh qualifier and further down the line.

This week, the Scots scored 310 against the West Indies - and, yes, they are a rabble now, but even so - and fell a boundary short of a victory in a practice game.

Ireland did beat Bangladesh. Zimbabwe clouted Sri Lanka, again both practice games.

How the four associates cope in the round-robin could produce a rubbing of chins from the ICC bosses - which might either be "told you so" if there are hefty beatings, or a more favourable view if, particularly, Ireland, Scotland and Afghanistan can show they are making serious steps.

The idea for 2019 is for all 10 teams to play each other. The last time that format was used was 1992 in Australia and New Zealand.

It is the purest method in that no one avoids anyone.

The associates feel they are getting another kicking from their masters.

But it is a difficult situation and whichever route the ICC took they'd get it in the neck.

So get out and judge them for yourselves. Ireland against the West Indies in Nelson on Monday? Now there's a good place to start.

For more coverage of the Cricket World Cup from nzherald.co.nz and NZME. check out #CricketFever.