SACHIN CALLS FOR 25-TEAM WORLD CUP

Sachin Tendulkar, an ambassador for the World Cup feels that there should be 25 teams competing in the next World Cup. “I found out the next World Cup would only be ten teams,” he said adding, “Which is slightly disappointing because as a cricketer I want the game to be globalised as much as possible and, according to me, this (having just 10 teams) is a backwards step.

He told an audience at an exclusive dinner in Sydney that the ICC should instead be exploring ways to expand the next World Cup to as many as 25 teams.

“Right now, they (associate teams) 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.”

Since the 2011 World Cup, Ireland has played only 11 ODIs against Full Member nations and their captain William Porterfield has been joined by his Scotland counterpart – Preston Mommsen – as well as a host of players and officials from both Associate and Full Member sides, in calling for a “level playing field”.

Sachin said he believes cricket’s global fan base will only grow if the Associates improve to the level where they can be consistently competitive and he believes the first step is to schedule regular matches against second-string sides from the Full Members nations.

An online petition asking the ICC to reverse the decision to cut the number of World Cup teams has, at the time of writing, gathered more than 15,000 signatures.

Sachin also suggested Full Member nations should regularly play their ‘A’ sides against Associates and strive to provide a “fair platform” for smaller cricketing countries. He says, “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”.

“If the results are good then you have more fans, so it’s important that they play good cricket consistently for a longer period, not just one good performance and then suddenly they go underground for four years and then turn up if they do well in those qualifying rounds.

“So I would say it’s something the ICC needs to look into and I hope they look into it.”
He also spoke about his concerns for the 50-over format and said he had suggested to the ICC about splitting ODIs into two 25-over innings. “I think Test cricket definitely will survive and T20 is definitely going to survive,” he said. “There is a big question mark over one-day cricket because I think it is getting monotonous. I have sort of casually suggested to the ICC that they need to look at the format. Can we change the format a little bit so that it’s not predictable? Can we look to introduce something  which is slightly out of the box?”

Tendulkar proposed a split-innings format, which he said could encourage more exciting matches and fairer results when games were interrupted by rain.

Speaking about some venues, “I felt there was a huge disadvantage in certain venues when the sides had to go in second because there is so much dew. Spinners are virtually out of the game and fast bowlers don’t get any movement.

“They’re bowling straight and the batters are thinking, well, where am I going to hit the next boundary? The game doesn’t go ahead like this. We need to find the right balance.”

However, ICC hasn’t reacted as yet. Sachn said,”They haven’t reacted. I’m still waiting.”

FANS MUST SUPPORT INDIAN TEAM DURING TOUGH TIMES: TENDULKAR

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday said fans must stand by the Indian team during the World Cup since there will surely be tough times and obstacles in their title defence.

"Obviously you want them to go out and thrash the opposition and win each and every match but that is not possible. Sometimes you have to accept defeat and that can also be a learning experience in a tournament like World Cup," Tendulkar said at an MRF event

"There are going to be difficult moments, there are going to be obstacles along the way but not just the team, if you all are together, it becomes inspiring for the players to move forward, knowing that the nation is not sitting on top of the head but the nation is moving ahead along with it. I would urge everyone to support our team.

"Earlier I batted for India on the field, now I continue to bat for India off the field. Something that really matters to a sportsman is genuine support and that is what I would like to extend."

Tendulkar said the upcoming World Cup will be a new experience for him as he won't be part of it, having featured in six editions of the cricketing extravaganza.

"Being a World Cup ambassador is truly an honour and it has happened for the second time. Last time I was ambassador and we played the 2011 World Cup and I was actually part of it. This time I am not. I am really looking forward to this experience because this is the first time that I won't be playing. It's a new experience for me," he said.

The batting maestro said his life has come a full circle. "World Cup journey started for me in 1983. I watched India win an excellent finals against West Indies and then Kapil paaji holding that beautiful trophy in the balcony of Lords. The next experience which was even greater, I was a ball boy at the Wankhede stadium and I got to see all the superstars of Indian cricket from a close vicinity.

"And then to become an ambassador of 2011 and 2015 World Cup it feels like I have done a full circle," he said.

Tendulkar, who bid good bye to cricket in November 2013, was part of India's World Cup-winning squad in 2011 when the Men in Blue carried the Master Blaster on their shoulders at the Wankhede Stadium.

Leading tyre maker MRF, one of the global sponsors for the cricket World Cup, launched a special edition World Cup tyre ZSport and Tendulkar said his association with the company has been quite old.

"My association with MRF started when I was a 12 year old wanting to become a fast bowler. Luckily before leaving from Mumbai to Chennai, my brother Ajit told me to carry the kitbag just incase I needed to bat.

"In retrospect that was the wisest decision because the first session itself Dennis (Lillee) came to me and he said I think it's a better option for you to put your pads on and get in the nets.

"For any sportsman, one thing you should never lose is hope. Hope will always allow you to push yourself harder. I actually had that but unfortunately because I am vertically challenged, obviously it was a little difficult to hold the seam upright and I preferred to bowl leg spin which was an easier option looking at my physique.

"I remember after I started playing for India, for a while I played with a bland bat only for the reason that tobacco companies had approached me and I didn't want to be associated with tobacco companies. I played with the bland bat also during the World Cup.

"In the middle of the World Cup, Mark Mascrenhas my manager then, gave me the news that MRF had signed a contract, and they have agreed to move ahead with you. They will sponsor your bat stickers and you will advertise their tyres," he said.