Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards has tried to reassure non-Test playing nations that they won't be left behind when cricket's brave new world becomes a reality this week.
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Associate and affiliate members of the International Cricket Council met at the MCG on Tuesday and Edwards, representing the ''big three'' countries, addressed their concerns. Chief among them is that they will receive a smaller slice of the revenue pie, while India, England and Australia will receive a bigger slice, although the pie itself is expected to be bigger on account of a much-improved media rights deal.
The associate teams have also been unhappy for some time that the 2019 World Cup will be a 10-team event instead of the 14-team tournament to be held in Australia and New Zealand in February and March next year. But the changes allow for the top associate to be promoted to Test cricket in 2018.
''I think Wally coming in has helped,'' said ICC head of global development Tim Anderson. ''We expect that our media rights and our sponsorship will go for significantly more than in the past which will mean that more money will flow down. So there's going to be more money in the associate world than before, we hope the event structures will remain strong.
''One of the things they are understandably concerned about is the World Cup and why are we going from 14 teams to 10 teams, and as a member that is probably a fair enough question. You don't want to lose something.''
For the 2019 World Cup the top associates will compete with the two bottom full members for places, putting the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at risk.
''I would argue that we as the associate countries are better prepared than we have ever been. Ireland and Afghanistan have really stood out in recent years. [They would have] strong hopes of getting through to the second phase [of the 2015 World Cup],'' Anderson said.
''If they play well ... no doubt they will be putting forward a case to say, can't it be more than 10? And if I were them I would probably do the same thing. But 10 is where it is at the moment. As a package I think they have got more opportunities now than what they have ever had and if they get better they will continue to get more opportunities.''
With that in mind, much is riding on the performances of leading associates Ireland and Afghanistan at the World Cup here. They, along with fellow qualifiers Scotland and the UAE, will tour Australia for games against state second XIs in September and October, while Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning coach Dav Whatmore has been enlisted to help them prepare.
