Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The ICC World Cup is only a few days old and already it is courting controversy and diverse opinion.
Ironically, it has nothing to do with the current tournament that started with a bang with easy victories for India and New Zealand.
The announcement causing a stir is that the ICC will be reducing the number of participating countries for future World Cups.
Those who read my column last week will know that I am in favour of this decision. However, it is not without its opponents. Chief among these is England's coach, Andy Flower, who lambasted the decision claiming that the ICC needs to keep the smaller teams included to encourage them and enhance their interaction with the leading teams, thereby, in the long term, improving their skill levels and the number of truly competitive teams.
While I agree with this notion in principle, I believe that this only applies once the teams are competing at a level that is close to those of the leading nations. At this present moment in time there is, in my opinion, too great a disparity between the top teams and those at the bottom.
The fixture between New Zealand and Kenya is an example. The former dismissed the latter for only 69 runs and then reached the required total in only 8 overs.
A contest that should have lasted 100 overs was over in just over 30 - and New Zealand are not one of the top teams.
Mismatches like this do not help the defeated nation and are nothing more than an irritant to players, spectators and sponsors alike.
Next came Sri Lanka's 210-run demolition of Canada.
I do agree that lesser teams need the opportunity to play against the top teams to gain experience. However, the World Cup is not the place for it. I believe that the weaker teams need to demonstrate a higher level of capability before being allowed to enter - the qualification needs to be significantly tougher.
Where I disagree with the ICC is the timing of the announcement. To tell the teams that this will be the last time many of them play takes away from their appearance this year and is disrespectful, particularly before the exact format has been decided.
I appreciate that the sponsors like to see the top teams involved as late as possible in a tournament and that schedules and formats are manipulated accordingly.
If lesser teams are to be allowed into the competition, and I believe that ultimately a few should, they should be able to compete in matches that are meaningful, where victory will allow them to progress at the expense of one of the better teams, not in a group match that means they need to have sustainable success.
One only has to cast an eye across to the English FA Cup last weekend to see the interest that can be generated when a minnow plays a top team.
Non-league Crawley Town came so close, admittedly against a second-string Manchester United team, at Old Trafford, while Arsenal sandwiched an away FA Cup tie at Leyton Orient between the visit of Barcelona and a Cup Final at Wembley. While physically only a few miles apart, the emotional differences are huge - a glamorous tie against the world's best club and players quickly followed by an away trip to a club three divisions below on their wet and muddy pitch!
The FA Cup is littered with similar tales and the occasional upset. What a fantastic result for the O's so soon after their opponents had vanquished Messi and his mates.
While it may seem that I am advocating now the inclusion of all teams, there is, again, a world of difference between the two sports.
In football, passion can carry teams a lot further while in cricket this can be counter-productive.
Cricket usually carries pitches that are a level playing field (continental variables notwithstanding) whereas lesser football teams delight in churning up a mud-bath that provides them a fighting opportunity.
To clarify, I would love to see cricket include the smaller nations, but only if they are given the chance to make a difference. Inclusion in a group stage does not provide this. However, allow a free draw where Kenya can meet Canada in the first round, with the winner perhaps meeting Holland in the next before taking on India in a semi-final after gaining some confidence - now people would come to watch that!
