Four associate members to fight for spot in 2015 World Cup: ICC

The ICC has approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 50-over World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

London: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 50-over World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The tournament has been reorganized after the ICC’s earlier decision of making it a 10 Test-playing nations event was criticized by associate and affiliate teams, according to reports. The new system, which will include four associate members, was decided after a Chief Executives Committee meeting in London. “The CEC adopted an ICC Development Committee proposal that a new 50-over League be introduced which will serve as the qualifying programme for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015,” the ICC said in a statement. “The top two teams in the eight team 50-over League will qualify automatically for the ICC Cricket World Cup and the remainder of the teams will be joined by the teams finishing third and fourth in the Pepsi World Cricket League Division 2 (the top two teams will compete in the new League) to decide the remaining two qualifiers. The event will take place at a venue and on a date still to be decided,” it added. Bureau Report