SYDNEY — Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar Wednesday blasted proposals to slash the 2019 World Cup to just 10 nations, describing it as “a backward step” and suggesting the tournament be expanded to 25 teams. Tendulkar, an ambassador for the World Cup on behalf of the International Cricket Council said the ICC should be expanding the frontiers of the game with Test teams encouraged to pit their ‘A' sides against Associate nations such as Afghanistan and Ireland. “I found out the next World Cup would only be ten teams which is disappointing because as a cricketer I want the game to be globalized as much as possible and, according to me, this is a backward step,” Tendulkar told a private dinner in Sydney in remarks reported by www.espncricinfo.com. “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 globalize this game we have to get more and more people excited about cricket and the fan following only follows the result.” Tendulkar argued that it was impossible for second-tier Associate nations to be consistently competitive throughout a World Cup under the current system because they are not exposed to top-level experience in the four years between tournaments. From the 2011 World Cup to the current event, Ireland played only 11 ODIs against Full Member nations. “Right now, they get up after four years on the cricket world's biggest platform and they're expected to play and compete with the likes of Australia, South Africa, India, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, so many top sides. It's unfair to them,” said Tendulkar. Ballance likely to lose berth Misfiring batsman Gary Ballance is likely to be the sacrificial lamb when England's harried selectors decide on the lineup for next week's World Cup crunch match against Bangladesh. Disgruntled former players and raging media pundits are demanding changes to a team that has won only one game from its opening four and stand on the brink of an ignominious exit from the global showpiece. Though England cannot boast a single consistent performer in the tournament, Ballance's four consecutive failures at No. 3 with the bat provide ample motive for selectors to swing the axe or demote the 25-year-old down to the middle order. Thirty-six runs in four matches is an ugly statistic for any specialist batsman but damning for a player expected to anchor an innings. More strident critics will continue to question why the Zimbabwe-born batsman was even picked in the first place. “I am not sure Ballance is a one-day cricketer,” former West Indies bowler and TV pundit Michael Holding told ESPNcricinfo.com last month. Holding's observation came after England had suffered a second consecutive World Cup humiliation with their defeat against New Zealand in Wellington. Ballance had been caught for a leaden-footed 10 after changing his mind too late about playing at a short ball by seamer Trent Boult. “I think he is a fantastic Test batsman... I am not sure he has the right attitude for ODI cricket,” Holding added. Though England have struggled on the field, selectors have been criticized for doing too much at the wrong time and too little when times demand it. — Agencies
