Sachin Tendulkar has slammed the ICC’s proposal for a 10-team World Cup in 2019, saying it is “unfair” for smaller nations.
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Tendulkar says the tournament should be expanded to 25 teams, including ‘A’ sides and all associate nations such as Afghanistan, Ireland and Scotland.
“I found out the next World Cup would only be 10 teams which is disappointing because as a cricketer I want the game to be globalised as much as possible and, according to me, this is a backwards step,” Tendulkar is quoted as saying by AFP.
“We’ve got to find ways of encouraging the lesser teams.”
He added: “Why not get Australia A, England A, New Zealand A, South Africa A, New Zealand A, India A, everyone, to go and visit these countries and play them on a regular basis.
“And see, not just 14 teams, but how can we get to 25 teams participating in the next World Cup?
“It is not just about the top six or seven sides. If we are to globalise this game we have to get more and more people excited about cricket and the fan following only follows the result.”
Speaking at a private dinner in Sydney, Tendulkar said that is was impossible for associate nations to improve if they were not getting exposure against cricket’s top 10 nations.
Associate sides have performed well at the 2015 Cricket World Cup, with Ireland defeating the West Indies in the early stages.
The emergence of Afghanistan has also been a key talking point.
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